Chazz's Song
by Decipher Philosophy
Summary: A spin-off of Kiss The Crossdresser, Chazz was discovered to be the reincarnation of the Speck of Light: Creation's Sacrifice. He had three other past incarnations who loved the darkness, but suffered because of it. Now, he battles with himself after facing his greatest devastation that left him broken. (A sequel will be made for the actual Rageshipping.)
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: SUICIDES and DEPRESSION

Plus Chazz was born Intersex.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N:The title is a play on "Sally's Song" from Nightmare Before Christmas, preferably covered by Katethegreat19.

So this is a sequel to Kiss the Crossdresser, but it's centered around Chazz Princeton. There will be married Seto and Joey in their dragon forms. Noe is a cyborg and married to Mokuba. Everyone's married! Jona's living happily in the afterlife, but can still be in reach. Saviors have their advantages. There are still viruses across different universes, and Joey with his friends are doing their best to clean it up.

The present takes place two years after GX, and twelve years after Kiss the Crossdresser. So Chazz will be nineteen/twenty in this.

But I'm starting with the four past lives of Chazz: Speck of light, Princess Jun (Princess of the Light and Darkness Kingdom/ fourth knight among the legendary knights: Hermos, Critias and Timaeus/Wadjet: Mother of the first pharaoh of Egypt), Jaswinder (Indian doctor of the Egyptian royalty) , and Xiaoling (Noemi's cat).

There will be songs introduced. It's not a song fic, but I want to include them because I want to. No real reason. Just want to.

So here is the exposition!

._._._.

 _Song: Life is Beautiful - Sixx: A.M.  
_

Before the birth of the Numeron Dragon, there was only darkness and light entangled in a war. The light wished to destroy the darkness out of its own amusement while the darkness fought for the sake of its own survival.

Then suddenly the light vanished from the darkness' awareness, and left but a single speck of light. Smaller than an atom, but filled with passion that attracted the darkness to keep it around.

The darkness and the speck of light became friends, and as a proof of that friendship, the light begged the darkness to kill it in order to give the one thing that the darkness should have: Life.

And so, after the death of the speck of light, life was given to the darkness in the form of stars, planets, black holes, and so much more. Although the only creation that was considered to have an opinion was the Numeron Dragon.

However, due to being the only creation with an idea, it discovered its own loneliness. Thus with all its power and its sacrifice, it created life on the planets with thoughts of their own.

This created the human beings who in turn would create duel monsters through their own thoughts and hearts such as the Creator God of Light, Horakhty, or the great evil God of the Shadow Realm, Zorc.

The light soon returned when it took a glimpse of the beauty that a piece of it had created. Wanting to destroy it, it became a wormhole that shot out streaks of light that created chaos throughout the universe. The darkness tried to stop the malicious being, but the light pointed out that lunging itself into it would create a war that could destroy its creation anyway.

The darkness believed it since its seen the lives within it enter into wars to maintain what they believed was theirs, only to see it go in tatters in different ways. Not wanting to destroy the life that the speck of light provided, the darkness decided to reincarnate a gentle piece of itself among the living in one of the many universes that the light would strike the hardest at.

Duel monsters and humans with a gift to become aware of this reincarnation created a prophecy to would be told throughout the universe's dimensions. There will be a battle between the light and darkness, and all should have faith that the darkness would win.

As simple as those words were, they unknowingly created a chaos that split the light and darkness monsters, and ostracize those who were a mix or dared to mix.

The mixed duel monsters and their allies fled from this hatred, and created a kingdom protected by three rings of mountains and a magical shield above them, so they could prosper among themselves. Only a golden gate was a way for them to come in and out.

No one at all knowing that when the gentle darkness was reincarnated, so was the speck of light.

Her name was Princess Jun of the Light and Darkness kingdom. She walked along her kingdom without anyone, not even herself, knowing that she was the sacrifice made for creation.

._._._.

 _Song: The Climb - Miley Cyrus_

The Light and Darkness Kingdom, LAD-K for short among its citizens, was a round, wide, spacious city that could fit billions of duel monsters and humans. The kingdom flourished with colors and shapes of nature and buildings that ranged from small to semi-tall. The tallest building in the kingdom was not the castle at the center of the city, but it was the bronze clock tower that was accompanied with the statues of the light-end dragon and the dark-end dragon. Within the light, the light end dragon gleamed beautifully while in the dark, the dark end dragon's eyes and smile gleamed wickedly.

The clock tower and the statues were the symbols of the kingdom. The clock tower symbolized life that should be lived with satisfaction, and the statues represented for acceptance. At the schools, the children are all taught about it, and the motto of the kingdom, "You may love or be indifferent to the external state of those around you, but never hate nor express negatively of it."

The castle of the royal family was extravagant with its black gates that shielded away from fans of the royal family with the help of the vines from the beautiful garden that surrounded the area. A flower field took up most of their backyard. The view of the place from good angle from above silently sang about life and beauty. Then when the sun had set, the gates and parts of the house would glow red as if the place was set by a demonic fire. Both faces of the kingdom pleased everyone who cared for aesthetics.

Princess Jun was very proud of her kingdom and loved her parents for creating such a place.

Her father was the King of the Light End. His skin was as white as porcelain, and his long green hair was midway to his ankles. Eyes glowed a fiery yet gentle orange. His lithe body was dressed in a pulpit robe with slits on its back to allow his four dove-like wings to freely spread out. He was also adorned in gold and jades. His own crown was in the shape of a helmet with a ring and horns above his head, and downward horns protruding from where his ears should be, and ending in a curve below his chin.

He was kind, patient, outgoing, and understanding, but very full of himself that his intentions of doing good could appear superficial to the skeptical type. He was the one behind the artistic beauty of the kingdom.

Her mother was the queen of the Dark End. Her skin was as black as obsidian with bat-like wings between her shoulder blades. Her piercing mono-lidded eyes softly glowing a bright green between a sapphire gem. Her apple-shaped body had a sinister face with a red gem between its yellow eyes. It never spoke. Only grins. Though she had told her daughter that it had spoken once, but that was only when her father had asked her hand in marriage despite the chaos that ensued because their kind dared to mix. The very words were, "If this guy doesn't mind you having a face on your stomach, he's a keeper."

She never worn clothing unless she was formally meeting with people who were uncomfortable around the naked. But she would only wear enough to hide her breasts, and wear a long loin skirt. Her own crown was in the shape of two cone shaped horns that protruded from her ears while spikes were on her bald head and cheeks. She was lazy, selfish, cruel, and aloof to other people's problems, but she had an incredibly sharp wit and wisdom. She was the one behind the very structure of the kingdom.

Princess Jun was born with half of her skin and mohawk being as pale as porcelain and the other half as dark as obsidian. One wing on her back was dove-like and the other was like a bat's. Her eyes were as yellow as the wicked eyes on her mother's stomach. Her father always had her dress in the most stylish of dresses and clothes of the kingdom's time. Though she mostly preferred to wear loose dresses and tights that were easy to dance in.

She was energetic, rude, passionate, egotistical, compassionate, and mix of many other things. She was a princess worth admiring, but can be overwhelming company.

At the breakfast table, her parents delivered unwanted news that unwanted _foreign_ visitors were coming.

"You're joking right? Why do I have to play with some prince dweeb. Adopted no less!" The created mountains for a reason! The golden gate is mostly just for show!

Her mother answered with an agreeing tone to her attitude, but her words expressed differently, "He's the reincarnation of the gentle darkness who is fated to destroy the light of destruction. However, because he is one person, kingdoms are fighting over who he will be succeeding as king of. The current king who has him is looking to us for support since we're one of the very, very few kingdoms who has no care in the world about some prophecy that ostracized our love. Right, my twinkle?"

Her father answered with a loud, honest voice, "Absolutely! We created this kingdom to stay away from the world out there! Without a doubt our forces could very well tip the scales of the wars, but it's the amount of faith and will of the people who win them! Jun, when you succeed us, you are expected to keep this kingdom as far away from the outside world as much as you can. We allow no one within our walls except for former citizens, their descendants, or interspecies lovers."

"I know, dad! You tell me that every day!" She huffed exaggeratedly.

Her father cautiously and lovingly explained, "I know, darling, _but_ I just want to make sure that all of this sink in with you because this kingdom is a sanctuary, and we can't risk foreign hate to breed among us. Hatred is a very infectious disease." He caressed her delicate dark cheek.

Her mother added, "Not that hatred isn't in our kingdom, but there are different types of hatred, and racism is not what we want. All external forms are accepted. It's the internal form that should be hated. Such as I. I have the attitude of a cold hearted bitch, and I rather have people hate me for that instead of who I chose to love and who I bred from it."

Jun had heard this lesson again and again, but it always sounded deeply important by her parents, so she respectfully nodded, and digested their words in her mind. In the future, she will rule a kingdom free of racism. Or most of it at best.

She then rewinded the conversation back to their main topic, "So do I have to like this prince?"

Her mother answered, "Nope! But they expect you to do it, so to show no hostility since we're a very mature kingdom, you just have to suck it up like us adults, and play nice."

"Nice-nice, or nice-I-obviously-hate-you-but-i-am-being-the-better-person-nice?"

Her father answered, "The second one, starlight, the second one."

"I can work with that." The princess shrugged the problem off, and then they were informed by one of the servants that the king and the prince had arrived. She loudly sighed. "Time to put up the act for the desperate!"

The family stood up, and walked over to the throne room where they took their seats. Jun's throne was in between her parents' own, and was smaller to fit her size, but it would grow in time. Her parents allowed Jun to be present during their work since early exposure to her future duties was a good idea.

Dragons who stood at the sides of the doors roared out as it opened to reveal the foreign royals who was escorted by the mystical elf. When they were a few feet from each other, she slightly bowed before leaving without a word.

Jun judged their appearances. The king looked like a generic man with his long, braided black hair, pointy crown and should guards, and useless cape. The boy looked like he was dressed to look like a poorer and dumber version with that stupid mushroom hair. Then there was the winged weirdo who had a stare intense enough to look like she needed to be taught in how to look at the people who were their only chance at survival.

"We're definitely saying no." Jun whispered to her mother.

"Ditto." She agreed. She was also thinking the same thing, except her thoughts were far more critical that all self-esteems would descend to the the ocean trenches.

Immediately, the Light End King stood up and approached the group with a booming, welcoming voice, "WELCOME! I must say that it is a surprise and an honor to meet you! You obviously know who we are, and we know who you are, so how about the kids excuse us while we adults discuss! Right, my princess?" He grinned at his daughter.

Jun gave her father a genuine smile, and stood up with her hands grasped together, looking like an absolute angel. "Of course, dear father. Please follow me." She walked out of the room with grace as the prince and his guardian followed.

When they were out of the room and was walking along a corridor, the prince spoke excitedly, "It's really nice to meet you, Princess Jun! I was able to see a part of your city from my carriage's window, and it's really beautiful!"

"Yeah, I know." Jun turned around with a tired sigh. "Let's get something straight here, prince Judai. You'll only be in this kingdom once, and even if you do become the prophesied Supreme King and I become queen, we won't become friends. We won't go to war. You'll just stay at your kingdom, and I'll stay at mine. Never to speak again."

Yubel was taken aback by her rudeness. "How dare you speak to prince Judai that way! He can have you and your kingdom crushed!"

Jun yawned. "How cute. Threat to take down a kingdom out of hubris, and shouldn't your prince be speaking for himself? If he wants to be ready to take a kingdom, he should be speaking. Not the help."

"Hey! Don't speak to my friend like that!" Judai snapped at her.

But Jun gave him a satisfied smirk that shouldn't be on a seven-year-old's face. "So you do got some spunk in you. Maybe you're not a lost cause after all." She turned around to continue walking, "C'mon losers. We're going to my backyard."

"I don't think I want to." The prince crossed his arms. "Not unless you apologize to Yubel!"

Jun gave him airy, "Sorry, sorry, sorry." She stopped and turned around. "Let's get something here, future king. You're in foreign property, and here, things are handled differently. You should do your homework on how to treat the locals. Not for the locals to turn their back on their culture just to fit to your taste. Otherwise you won't get some dynamic character in that body of yours. To you, I'm rude. But here, this is called a test of character. And if you can't pass it, and you're going to use your big name to look like the bigger man, then the wise will know that you're the fool. You gotta adapt, boy." She continued walking away.

Yubel wanted to crush her! But she knew better than to attack. "Can you believe her?!"

Judai looked at the princess's back thoughtfully. "Actually...I can. She's right. This is her home, and we're the guests. We should learn their customs."

"And if she is just lying to you to insult you?!"

"Then I better figure that out." Prince Judai grinned as he ran after the girl. "Hey, wait up!"

._._._.

The Kings and the Queen sat at a round table with a meal served. The queen saw in the foreign king's eyes that he was hesitate to eat. She spoke with her soothing, manipulative voice, "There's nothing to worry. None of the meals are poisonous. If we wanted to kill you, we'd be a lot more discreet, but no motive presents itself."

"You certainly have a...particular way of speaking." The foreign king tried to say politely, but in his eyes were judgement against her gender, and her motherhood. She could see the disgusts so clearly that she pitied at how weak he was. And this was the man to raise the Supreme King. So sad.

She feels her husband's hand on her lap. It gave a comforting rub while he chowed on his food with control. If the guest wasn't present, then he'd eat like a wild man who hadn't eaten in days.

She appreciated his actions, and played civil with the racist, "So how long will you be staying?"

"I will remain here as long as it takes me to convince you to fight by my side. You must be aware of the tension growing between my kingdom and the others once they learned that the reincarnation of the gentle darkness was found in my kingdom, and is now my son."

"Yes, that was a very smart move." The Dark End Queen complimented sarcastically before taking a sip of her wine.

"Excuse me?"

"Let's be honest here." She slammed her chalice on the table to show her anger, but her calm expression contradicted her action. "You screwed up like how many kings have done before. If you had read your history books, you would've known that such an uprising against you would happen. You flaunted a power that frightens those who likes to remain in their seat of power. 'Who's to say that this boy won't grow up and conquer their own kingdom?' That is racing through all the leaders' minds right now just because you decided that you wanted to flaunt your lucky fortune. The smart move would've been to hide this child as much as possible, and do not reveal him until his prophecy must be fulfilled or you are dying. That way the boy would be of age to take a stand against this problem you created. No one can't say no to a boy with indestructible power to control the duel monsters."

"I understand my mistake now-"

"Do you?" She spoke above him to remind him of where he sat at. This was her realm. "And yet you don't see how to obviously prevent the upcoming bloodshed made in your name!"

"If you have a better idea then-"

"Create a new name."

"What?"

"It's very simple. Unite all the kingdoms, and create a new name that shall be bestowed upon the new country ruled under the Supreme King. You should also have another successor to handle your kingdom. At the same time, you must create a new kingdom with roads that connects the other kingdoms like a postal office and bank, so all news and money and such will always be present for the boy to hear and handle if needed be. Bello," She called out to one of her servants. A map was laid out on the middle of the table with a circle on it. "This should be where your new kingdom is. It's the best location, so the strongest kingdoms can all be at estimated equal distances from it. And to make sure the kingdom is properly fit for a king," She snapped her fingers, and Bello had the map magically turn into a miniature kingdom.

The Light End King pointed out that he created this one before continuing to eat.

His wife affectionately chuckled before explaining, "This is created with pieces from each kingdom to make it a piece of their own. And not just any pieces, but the pieces that represents their riches and pride."

The foreign king stared at the futuristic display of a new kingdom, "It's...magnificent..."

"I know." She gave a small smirk since she was so used to hearing that compliment. "Of course, to make sure that the alliances are strong, then the king should obviously be involved in polygamy. Nothing like having one of their citizens sowed by the king to get them feeling like they're family." She chuckled at her own joke. "Of course, if a heir was to be born, then that isn't my issue. You wanted help out of this war, then here you go. Present this to the other leaders, and they'll seek the opportunity to have a piece of the king to themselves. You can have all the credit."

"Are you sure?" The king was not flabbergasted by the careless withdrawal of acknowledgement.

"I only wish for you to never return here, so will you use my plan?" She already knew the answer, but it looked like the poor foreigner needed coherence of the situation.

"I...I will." The king was breathless by the pure magnificence that was swallowing the room.

"Good. But not now. I would like you and your son to stay here for a week. Lucky for you, you came right as we were having our festival week. The fairies of life is coming so everything is endless. The wine in the amphoras never stop flowing, edible plants will sprout after sprout, and the farm animals are twice or thrice as big! You must enjoy our culture."

"I...Anything. Anything you wish." The man was still staring at the miniature kingdom. He understood the loss of having the gentle darkness to himself, but by the amazing display before him, he knew that he would be taking credit for an absolutely brilliant design, and will go down in history as one of the top geniuses! He was busy trying to think of how to speak as brilliantly as the display was.

The Dark End Queen didn't care for the credit. She just wanted her kingdom to be left alone. She felt that hand on her thigh take her hand. She looked at her husband to see in his eyes that he agreed. He looked forward to being left alone.

._._._.

"Come on loser! You're way too slow! You call yourself a prince?!" The seven-year-old princess insulted the male prince who came to visit with his adopted father. They were running along the flower fields of her backyard.

"Don't call Prince Judai a loser, you miserable excuse of a princess!" Yubel snapped back from beside the prince.

"And you're a miserable excuse for a guard!" She grabbed a rock and chucked it at the boy's head, and he fell down. "Ha ha ha ha ha! If that was a real weapon, you'd be dead!"

"Are you asking for a war?!" Yubel was about to attack her, but prince Judai held her back.

"No, Yubel. She's just playing with me. Nothing wrong with that!" He sat up and blood poured from his forehead. "But can you please not throw so hard next time! It could've put me in a coma!" He laughed the pain off.

Jun snorted! "Sorry. I thought your head be as hard as that rock since you look as dumb as it!"

"If I'm as dumb as a rock, then you're as flimsy as a flower!" The prince snapped back while Yubel treated the wound.

"What?! Who's a flower! Idiot, I'm like a lightning bolt! I'm hotter than the sun, and I can crack open that dull skull in a second!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Judai ran away despite the wound being half treated.

"Then come here and face Jun: The thunder princess!" She chased after him.

"I thought you were a lightning bolt?!"

"I'm the damn storm coming down at you!" She lunged herself and tackled him from behind. The girl started poke him with noises meant to sound like she was raining down lightning bolts. The prince was laughing at how ticklish they felt.

"I'm down! I'm down! I'm defeated!"

"What'dya I tell ya! I'm the best princess there is!" She crossed her arms with a triumphant grin.

"Yeah. Yeah, you are, but yoooou failed to see my sneak attack!" The boy turned them over, and cried out, "Here comes my hero assault! Skydive scorcher!" He began poking at her, but she wouldn't have any of it.

"I counter with my shining breath!" She blew out her breath at his face, and the boy nearly faints.

"Augh, don't you mean death breath?!"

"Yeah, and there's more where that came from!"

"Well, my breath stinks more!" he blew at her face, and Jun also almost nearly faint.

"Ew! Did you eat troll poop before coming here?!" The both of them started laughing.

Yubel scolded them, "Prince Judai! This is not how you should be playing with girls! Especially princesses! Even when they are poorly raised!"

Princess Jun scoffed at him. "Are your girls all as boring as you make then sound? Geez, no wonder why your king is desperate to look to us for military support, when everyone knows we're not going to give him any!"

"Why not?" Judai asked.

"It's cuz, rock-brain, my kingdom was created to protect us from these conflicts since it was your people who kicked us out in the first place!"

Yubel yelled at her, "Princess Jun, it is not you-"

"Not my place to explain what? My kingdom? Excuse me stick-butt, but you have to remember that you are guest." She stood up to properly project her words, "I'll say what I wanna say on my lands. Don't like it, then scram!"

"Wait Princess Jun, she's just being overprotective of me!" Prince Judai tried to reason.

"Whatever. I'm bored of you, so I'm going to play with some real kids without nagging nannies."

"You don't actually mean that do you?" Prince Judai was visibly hurt by her words.

The princess felt guilty but she continued to act cold out of pride. "I always mean what I say, and if you wanna take it back, then prove me wrong. You guys can go do whatever you want. My servants can show you to the toy room or give you a tour guide around the city. I'm going to go have fun!" She spread her wings and flew away to the window of her room.

Yubel yelled at her, "Good! Prince Judai doesn't need to be exposed to someone like you."

"Stop it, Yubel! We're trying to be friends with her."

"I don't think that's a possibility, Prince Judai. We came here out of desperation. This kingdom is your enemy. They care nothing for your destiny. Even if the Light of Destruction were to come, they wouldn't lift a finger to help. Its best if this whole kingdom burned to the ground."

"Don't say that, Yubel! They may be mean and weird, but they haven't done anything to cross the line! These people just want to left alone because the world was being mean to them."

"But at the same time, they are not on your side. This is a civilization of immoral mix of monsters, and like every kingdom, they will try to expand and conquer other kingdoms. It is your job to unify them, Prince Judai! And if this kingdom denies that, then the other kingdoms will be against you! You can't create a weak link to your destiny. You need to do what is necessary to make sure everyone is safe. Even if you have to do it by force."

Judai understood what Yubel was saying. She always told him that whenever he showed a moment of weakness. It was his job as the future Supreme King to unite the kingdoms, so they could be under their protection. If other kingdoms deny it, then a war may erupt. In order for the world to be at balance, he needed to unify all of them, even if it was by force.

That's how he's been taught since he was discovered.

._._._.

 _Song: This is my idea - Swan Princess Movie_

"A week?!" Princess Jun was livid by what her mother decided without consulting her! Her parents and her were at the library where they spent time to read while in the comfort of each others silent presence. But after what Jun was told, it wasn't going to be that way. "I don't want to celebrate our festival of life with them! Why?!"

Her father answered from his seat. "We may not want to do anything with the Supreme King in the future, but dealing with him is inevitable. Your mother and I agreed that we should at least convince him of why he shouldn't destroy us if he were to try to unite all the kingdoms. Your mother gave a simple boost for the current king to make the unification happen faster with less problems, and considering that she was the one behind the genius, that would win the Supreme King's favor to allow our demands to happen. We are depending on you to become friends with him, so perhaps there will be a unification without our gate our mountains being taken down."

"Or for people to think that they can flood into our city just because of it." The queen shuddered at the thought from her seat.

"Oh, so this is another manipulative plan you have." Jun finally took her seat. "But I already told him that I wanted to have nothing to do with him!"

"Then don't push the friend-thing." Her mother advised. "Just do it little by little each day, and just leave a lingering feeling that perhaps the two of you were friends. Considering what the servants told me, the boy is quite the joyous idiot, so I bet he believes that the two of you can be friends anyway."

"I hate those kinds of idiots." The little girl crossed her arms indignantly. After thinking it over, she heavily sighed. "Fine! But it won't be easy with that nagger around."

"We love you." her parents said simultaneously with a gracious tone.

Jun walked over to them to receive a kiss on her cheek for her reluctant decision.

._._._.

The first morning of the week came the next day. The king was to spend time with Jun's parents to do what adults would do while she was to find a way to get along with the prince. She groaned at the thought at her bedroom. She considered of what she should do first.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her servant who informed her that her friend, Daichi, had arrived. Her head perked up with gleam in her eyes by that news. "Good! Send him in!"

Her servant nodded, and came in a small tiger that shifted its form into a male who dressed in a white pulpit robe like her father, but he had black hair swept back, and nothing else that interesting about his looks worth remembering. "Nice to see you again, Princess Jun." He greeted politely with a smart accent.

The girl jumped out of her bed to land before him and let him know, "Daichi! Perfect! I need you to be my date for the double date with the prince!"

The boy was only slightly surprised by this sudden request. He was quite used to the princesses random urges. "Oh? I heard that the future Supreme King was visiting. Isn't he around our age?"

"Yeah! So?" She frowned at him, believing that he was bailing on her before anything good happened.

"Kind of weird that he'd have a date?"

Chazz scowled at having to explain the most annoying person she met. "His date is actually his guardian. She's a nagger, and I can't stand how much she nags!" She frustratingly sighed with an eye roll. "But father and mother wants me to be on his good side for the sake of our privacy, so as the loyal and obediently beautiful daughter I am, I'll deal with this cruddy prince and stupid guardian. But I won't go at this alone! So Daichi, my long time best friend and future king, will you be my date!"

The seven-year-old Daichi didn't see the harm in it and thought that it would be fun. "I'm flattered that you asked! Nothing like the princess playing the role as manipulator. So when do we start?"

The girl bought him over to the waiting room where the prince and Yubel was told to wait for the princess. Jun strode in with vibrant energy that took over the room. "Good morning, slackers! It looks like I'll have to deal with you for a week since we are just children with minimal freedom of choice! But none of that complicated stuff you probably don't understand." She just loved coming in with insults. Yubel was well aware of what her words meant, and Judai seemed more bemused and amused.

She introduced Daichi, "Prince Judai, I'd like you to meet my future husband, Daichi. He's one of the most gifted geniuses in our kingdom."

"Figures that you'd have to marry someone with brains to make up for your lack of them." Yubel quipped.

Jun was about to snap at her, but Daichi smoothly said, "And I must say that you must be here to make up for your prince's lack of masculinity."

The dark type Duel Monster was shocked by the backtalk by some nobody! "You dare speak to-"

"Yubel!" Judai cried out. "Let's not fight! We're here to have fun!"

"You shouldn't tolerate their behavior." She scolded him.

Though the male retorted, "It's harmless. What you said was out of line though. Jun's obviously really smart!"

Jun happily smirked. "With a compliment like that, I guess you have some brains in you after all."

"Thanks! You too! So you two are really getting married?"

"Definitely!" Jun answered proudly. "It's good politics after all, bot none of that! Let's head out already. I've been told that you already visited the clock tower, and the schools, so you know our history and motto, so we can skip over the lectures, and go have some fun! The life festival lasts a week, so everyone can try out different things. We're going to spend the day doing what I love!"

"Neat!" Judai was excited! Yubel remained silent with a glare of suspicion.

The princess announced, "Of course, our first stop is the knight's stable! It's important for the princess to greet our top guardian and leader of the behavior control force at the morning before the Blending Race!"

"Blending race?" The prince was thinking about people being crushed in a bowl and blended by a spoon until they came out as one monster.

Daichi explained, "You should know that our kingdom consists of three mountain circles. The second ring of land is where agriculture takes place. The Blending race is simply a race around the second ring, and as they race, they have to pick out fruits, vegetables, and farm animals to put in their baskets. First place goes to one of the first three racers to cross the finish line. The one with the best quality is the winner. Second and third place goes to the other two of the first three racers to cross the finish line."

"That sounds totally awesome! I wanna join!"

"I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until you're older. Only those who had gone through the process of puberty can join. The reason is because the children who do wish to join the race will have to pass through agriculture classes. That way when they are picking their crops and animals, they will pick reasonably. It will be no good if a farmer looses its herd."

"Oh..." Judai considered what he was taught thoughtfully. "But you're smart! You should know what to do! So can you join?"

"Not at all. I guess there is a leeway to allow me to participate, but if you knew who you were challenging, then it would be best to take a backseat until you've trained a little more."

Jun interrupted to get things going already. "And that's why we're going to meet the guardian! She's known as the Cyber Kaiser!"

The dragon stables was located at one of the mountains, so they were transported first by carriage that had quick insects bring them to the chosen mountain. Then they entered a box-shaped room attached to the back of a muscular giant who would climb the mountain with steady ease until they reached their destination. Prince Judai was all smiles at the window where he was taking in the breathtaking view while everyone waited silently at their seats.

Daichi whispered to Jun, "He looks like he's enjoying himself. Never imagined that the future Supreme King destined to destroy an entity would have this personality. Childish but innocent."

Jun snootily whispered back, "Please. You should know that dark type creatures aren't always sinister and cunning like my mother. I mean have you seen the Dark magician girl?"

"Ah yes, but still. He's thee darkness, but again, the power is sleeping inside him. I wonder what he would be like once it awakens."

"Hopefully not a pain in the arse because I'm the one who has to deal with him." Jun silently pleaded with fate.

The two children then remembered that Yubel was glaring at them. They ignored her again.

The giant finally stopped, and the four of them exited. They were welcomed by a gust of wind from a Cyber End dragon's wings as it circled the stable that was filled with different types of dragons with stalls created to match their elements and shapes. The flying dragon cut through the air with a speed to was almost hard for the eye to follow.

Judai was amazed by it! "WAH! This is totally game! I'm so excited! I wanna ride a dragon!"

"We can make that happen, but first," Chazz yelled at the Cyber End dragon rider. "Ryo! Your princess is here!" The dragon whirled around the sky to come to a steady landing in front of her. The three heads leaned towards her, and she affectionately patted their nuzzles. "I'm happy to see you, too, Cyber End Dragon. As the princess, I will not root for you, but I will reward you with a kiss if you do win!"

"Will the rider receive that reward, too?" The rider removed her helmet to reveal long cerulean hair with window bangs and focused yet kind cerulean eyes. A truly calm and beautiful face that made men drop to their knees at her presence.

Jun happily replied, "Of course! I'm not stingy with my kisses!"

"Then can I get one, too!" Judai asked.

"No!" Both Jun and Yubel answered. Yubel was a furious objection while Jun was just being childish. Judai was hurt either way.

Jun ignored him to inform her guardian, "Ryo, the dweeb and his keeper here is Prince Judai and his guardian Yubel."

"Is that so." Ryo smiled amusingly. She welcomed them with a more polite tone. "It's an honor to meet the future Supreme King and his trusted friend. I hope in the future that our two worlds can be at peace."

"Such formality. Why aren't you taking the throne?" Yubel deadpanned.

Ryo quietly chuckled. She defended, "I understand why you think Princess Jun is unsuited, but you've only met her for a day, and-"

"They don't need to be convinced." The princess huffed with her fists on her hips. "I will be queen and you'll have to live with that. Anyway, we're not here to talk about me! I came to give you the morning greeting before the Blending race today. It is important for a princess to remind her hardworking citizens that she's supportive of them!" She then began gloating to the visitors, "You see here, Ryo is the best fighter and leader of our kingdom, and she's not even in her twenties! Our kingdom always faces so much trouble inside and outside our kingdom, and she cleans up the mess like a true professional!"

"Really?!" Judai loved people who go in action! "So you face other duelists out there and their army of duel monsters?!"

Ryo answered with a nod. A clear sign of respectful modesty. "I would love to spend more time with you all, but as Princess Jun stated, I have high expectations and thus much business to attend to." She faced her princess. "I'm flattered by the gesture. I'll race at my best for you, my future queen." The guardian placed a kiss on the back of her palm.

"You better. I'll leave you to your practice. I will have to go wake our citizens who are still asleep. A princess's job is never done!" She extended and pointed her right foot behind her left one and bends her knees to give a graceful curtsy. Ryo got on one of her knees and bowed her head down before taking her leave on her duel monster partner.

Jun then faced the others. "Now let's go choose a dragon for you."

"I don't need one." Yubel said.

"Neither do I, but its nice to stretch their wings. Masked Dragon!" Jun went over to the green and orange dragon.

"Can I ride with you?" Judai asked. "I never rode a dragon, so I'm worried about fallin' off, y'know."

"Oh, you'll be fine." Jun dismissed him, but Daichi hinted, "I'm sure your parents would love to see you having fun."

She scowled at him, but he was right, "Fine. You can ride."

"Sweet!" Judai got on the Masked Dragon behind her and held her waist.

"Are you sure about this, Prince Judai?" Yubel inquired.

"Definitely. Jun can't do anything to me in the sky. Not that she would! Right, Jun."

...

 _WHOOSH!_

Off went the dragon at full speed!

"PRINCE JUDAI!" Yubel cried out.

Daichi chuckled. "He forgot to add the 'Princess' title."

"AAAAAAaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAhAhAhA!" Judai went from screaming to laughing as they flew through the sky recklessly. Jun had the dragon go in circles and flying sideways, and passed through the mountains to reveal the farming lands, and then to the first ring.

Judai screamed his question, "Why is the first ring empty?!" The area was a barren land. Just cracked, dry dirt.

Jun wickedly grin. "This is why!" She had her dragon fly right above the surface. "TIME TO WAKE UP YOU USELESS SACKS OF DEAD MEAT! IT'S THE LIFE FESTIVAL!"

Hands, talons, claws or whatever limb popped out from the ground, and the ground rose to the sky, and stayed there.

"You see, prince! When someone dies in our kingdom, we burn, break, or melt their body and throw it in here! And there names are etched on the mountains! On the week of the life festival, they can become whole again and rise from the dead if they want to, but in miniature forms so they don't overcrowd the place! They can be regular size, but that'll only last for a day."

Judai stared at the different humans, duel monsters, and mixtures popping out of the ground, and began traveling in a row to the multiple gates of the second ring, and then all of them would walk to a path that would lead to a single path to the golden gates of the kingdom.

Jun yelled, "Looks like a parade of midgets, right?! It's kinda is a parade because their loved ones are waiting for them at the side of the streets with confetti and stuff!"

"That's FREAKIN' AWESOME! I wish we had something rad like that!"

"No can do! The fairies of life only come to us out of nowhere!"

"They don't live here?!"

"Nope! They just appeared out of nowhere, and we never questioned it!"

Jun had them flown back to one of the pieces of levitating land to stand on it. She thanked the Masked Dragon before he flew back to his stable to rest.

The prince was absolutely exhilarated by the rush! "That was so much fun! So what are we doing here?! How we gonna get down, Jun?"

"It's my job to arrange the floating pieces of land to become an obstacle for the race! And I can make them a staircase to the kingdom if I point my finger, and that's PRINCESS Jun to you, dweeb!" She snapped.

"Oh sorry. I thought we were dropping that since you don't always call me Prince Judai." The boy gave a goofy grin.

"To call you a dweeb doesn't mean that we are friends! Not even Daichi refers to me so casually!"

"Even though you two are getting married?"

"Of course! My title is my pride of this kingdom! You will not besmirch it!" She grumpily crossed her arms and faced away from him.

"I see. Sorry then. I promise not to besmirch you. Whatever that means."

Jun rolled her eyes. "Who is your tutor?" She asked rhetorically, but the boy complied to answer, "I have different tutors, but I always try to weasel myself out of them! I rather play with my friends all day long!"

"Oh mother and father, we're doomed." She moaned in despair.

"Come on! I know my studies are important, but I can't help falling asleep during them, so what's the point? I'll have Yubel and other people help me anyway, and if anyone wants to fight, then I'll just use my Supreme King power to protect everyone." Judai's lively words softened as he spoke each word, and to an ordinary person, they would've still sounded fine, but Jun knew better.

She gave him a critical eye. As someone who had sat with her parents, even at times of stress, she knew when she saw someone drowning in pressure. It was important that she could identify that to either take advantage of or fix.

At this moment, it was a matter of fixing. She told him, "You're more than just the Supreme King."

"What?" Judai was surprised by those words.

The seven-year-old princess clarified. "You must be tired of people calling you the future Supreme King and the universe's hope. The pressure must be killing you."

"Ah..." The boy looked embarrassed and subconsciously scratched his cheek with his finger. "Yeah...But please don't tell Yubel! She gets really worried about me!"

"With a guy like you for a friend, I don't blame her. The Light of Destruction could come at you at any moment, and you look completely unprepared."

"Do I really?" The seven-year-old Judai's face drop. His goofy expression descended into a shadow that snuffed out the lights in his eyes. It was disheartening. "I know that I have to be prepared for when the Light of Destruction comes, but I don't know when, and I don't know how!"

"It's frightening." Jun commented to see his reaction, and Judai looked like he was ready to leap to her for help, but hesitated.

They were only seven-years-old, so Jun was doubtful that she could provide the same level of wisdom her parents would provide, but she had to try. First, she held his hand to plant a sense of intimate trust. She made sure her voice sounded steady and trusting like her mother's.

"But when you're in a scary place, it's a lot less scary when you have someone with you who will carry out a plan of action to take out the threat."

"But who can help me? I'm the only one capable of doing anything."

"Not with that mindset." Jun held his other hand. "My parents always told me that strength can only be utilized to its full potential from confidence, and that confidence can only remain concrete within you when you have the support of those you cherish. You also have to understand the consequences of not utilizing that to its full potential. In your lame man terms, you have expectations to meet, but those expectations are there because they believe in you. You should feel confident and strong because of that."

"But what if I can't."

"Doesn't matter." Jun spoke as if that was the simplest answer in the world. "As much as your people make it all about you, Prince Judai, this is not about you. When the Light of Destruction comes, you won't face it alone. I don't think a good friend would let you do that. Your enemy may be nothing compared to mine, but our situations are similar."

She explained, "When I become queen and face the challenges that my parents face, I have to expect all of those I cherish to die or suffer because of my choices. I also have to live with the wrong choices that others have made for my sake. My position is frightening especially when we're a kingdom hated by everyone outside our walls. But I can't run away. I can't crumble."

"How do you know that you won't?" Judai was in awe at how mature the little girl acted. He felt jealous.

She answered, "I don't, but I know I have good friends to help me through it." With a flick of her wrist, the levitating piece of land formed a straight staircase towards the kingdom. Her other hand still held onto Judai's. "The most foolish mistake that someone like us could ever do is do things alone. We're both not strong enough for that."

 _Song: Win - Brian McKnight_

Jun looked up to the sky where it was was clear from any cloud at sight so it was just the blue sky and sun above her.

From Judai's point of view, he was impressed and surprised to hear someone like Jun say that. They only met yesterday, but she had quite the personality that screamed that she wouldn't confess her weaknesses. He looked down at their hands holding. He tightened his hand softly.

"Then...can we be friends?" He asked shyly. It felt uncharacteristic of him, but he wasn't just asking for someone to hang out with him to do meaningless, fun things. He was looking for someone he could talk to and understood him without high expectations.

Jun turned her attention to him, and was hesitant with the decision. She then looked away with a snooty answer, "As if I'd be friends with you! I just gave you a pep talk! You have to consider whether I'm loyal or not! Ask me after this week ends!"

Judai felt shot down by her first answer, but then was once again surprised by what she last said. His brown eyes gleamed as they stared at the back of a winged angel and demon. He couldn't help grinning with watery eyes.

They were only seven-years-old, but they both understood the weight of their future responsibilities.

Judai proclaimed, "Don't worry, Jun! We'll definitely become friends!"

"That's not how it works, idiot! You're supposed to be suspicious of me!" She took her hand away from his, and began jumping through the levitated pieces of land. She scattered some of the levitating pieces of land since she was supposed to do that.

"But I already trusts you! My gut tells me I can, and my gut is never wrong!" He followed after her.

"Then maybe you should get your gut checked! Maybe you're just passing gas or need some brain food in you because you're lacking any!"

"I don't know about the gas part, but I can go for some grub! How 'bout it, Jun!"

"It's PRINCESS JUN, you dork!"

"And I'm Prince Judai! Yours truly!"

"AURGH!"

"Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

Once they reached the kingdom, Jun introduced Judai to the various restaurant around her kingdom. Their conversations were filled with Jun's introductions, Judai's awes, muffled words, and idiotic comments that had the princess screaming at him!

Her citizens were amused by their interactions that they laughed or teased them.

"Got yourself a new fiance, Princess?!" A teen student hollered at her at the street. "And I thought you were against PDA!"

"If you think this is PDA, then your girlfriend must be sorely disappointed!" She angrily snapped back, but only got teased more. She just turned away and walked away with dignity.

Judai covered his mouth as he burped. "Boy, that was good! Your kingdom's food is the best! I never tasted such weird and exotic flavors and textures! I gotta pack some for me when I have to leave!"

"Whatever! The Blending race is finally going to start. We should get back to our parents. Us royalties have to sit near the gates in a comfortable room. There are stands provided at the second ring, but everyone watches it by their mirrors or whatever technological or magical device they have to connect to the broadcast system."

"Cool! I get to see Ryo's skills in picking fruits and stuff!"

Jun snorted and then giggled. "Just wait. The dueling wars will happen a day before the last one."

"Huh? You have specific events for each day of the week?"

"Of course, we do! Did you expect us to just do two events, and spend the rest of day just eating food like a Minotaur or even worse, you?!"

"Kind of." Jaden gave a sheepish grin.

Jun glared at him, and marched away to their destination. She felt so insulted! Judai immediately tried to apologize plenty of times, though they sounded half-hearted by his happy-go-lucky attitude, and he tried to bargain to make things better, which only made things worse, and give him a well deserved slap to the face.

"Oowwww! I said I was sorry!" The prince rubbed his sore, red cheek.

"How you apologize is considered an insult in my culture." The girl gave him the cold shoulder as they finally reached the building near the gate.

When they reached their room, Yubel immediately approached Judai, and attacked him with questions and scoldings while his adopted father just kept silent. Yubel spoke enough for the both of them.

The Dark-End Queen smirked at the red mark on the boy's face. "I see that you two have become fast friends." She teased.

Jun felt her white and black face turn red! She thoroughly rejected, "No! No, we are not!"

"I remember when you gave Daichi a slap on the face when he made you blush." Her father kid.

Jun yelled, "That's different! Let's just watch the stupid race already!"

They went to the comfortable room where they sat at their own comfortable seats. Jun sat in between her parents, and Judai sat in between his adopted father and Yubel. They watched the race through a wide rectangular mirror with a golden, intricate frame.

Judai and Jun cheered for Ryo who flew through the race with intensity, but the way she had her dragons pick the best quality of crops and animals into her separate baskets made the whole race look like a breeze to do, but when compared to the others who lagged behind, it made her look godly.

When Ryo won, everyone exited from the room to greet the winners at the stage where they were to stand. And just as promised, Jun gave a kiss to each head of the Cyber End dragon, and then a simple peck on the lips for Ryo. The dragon and contestant who won second place got a kiss on the cheek, and the ones in third got a kiss on the forehead. The rest of the contestants were allowed to shake her hand and give it quick kiss if they wished to. Their dragons were all given a nice pat on the head.

Then everyone had a feast to celebrate for the winners. Performances were given on that stage for entertainment. Yubel kept Judai away from Jun for the rest of the afternoon.

Jun didn't care. She had enough of that glutton anyway.

"I'm hurt that you ditched me for another boy." Daichi appeared without a hurt expression. "So how did it go?"

"He's a gluttonous idiot, and we're all doomed." She deadpanned, making her future husband laugh!

"Then I better take my research more seriously if I want to accomplish anything before our demise." He kid.

"You nerd." She held his arm. "I can't wait to tell your mistress about all your terrible qualities." The two were to be married, but it was just politics, and their kingdom understood why their monarch would want to be with other people intimately. Though to the kids, mistresses was a term they associated to be similar to boyfriend or girlfriend with no idea what's gonna happen under the sheets. Well, they did have an idea, but not in detail.

"If I ever do have a mistress, she'd love them anyway."

Jun snorted. "She'd have to be pretty nerdy herself to like them. Let's go enjoy our date."

The two walked over to the booths with the games. Judai watched them go.

Yubel didn't like the way her prince was staring at Jun. "My prince, you shouldn't trust her."

"But I know I can, Yubel. She's not a bad person."

"Even so. Power can change a person, but trust in only me and your own people, Prince Judai, that we won't let it corrupt you. We can't say the same for someone like her."

"She also has her friends. I believe that we can all get along. If you can't trust her, then trust me, Yubel. I know what I'm doing!"

Yubel didn't like it, but she knew she shouldn't stop him. "Alright, my prince. Just don't start acting like her."

"Thanks Yubel! I won't let you down!"

._._._.

 _Song: I hope you dance - Lee Ann Womack  
_

"I must say that today was a success in solidifying a trust with the Supreme King." Jun's mother commented while the family was at the library. It was nighttime, and there was still a party outside, but they were tired. The noise that the party made was kept out of ears by the magical spell cast by their sorceresses.

"I agree. The prince looked absolutely smitten with you my daughter! I'm not surprised when you are beautiful!" Her father showered her with compliments.

Jun was satisfied in her actions as well. She knew she could do it since the prince wasn't antisocial, but she didn't know if she would leave an impression in him if he were to change once his powers awaken. "I will try harder tomorrow to be on the boy's good side, and also win the final dance event. I'll be practicing now before bed time. Good night mother and father." She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek.

They both simultaneously said endearingly, "We love you."

Jun said with the same endearment, "I love you, too."

She excused herself from the library, and went to the dance room.

From there, she stood at the center of the room, and stood there for a moment to collect herself. On this floor, nothing mattered. She wasn't a princess. She wasn't a fiancee, friend, or a daughter. She was just a dancer, and she was free from the world.

She bought her arms to her chest and took a deep breath. The orchestra and choir consisting of statues with their voices or instruments began to play a sweet melody that figuratively tied harmless strings to her being. Not to control her, but give her a push to express herself.

Each step of her feet marked her existence on that plane of existence. Each sway of her arm and hands expressed her creativity and desires. Each breath she took gave life and strength to her form.

She was concentrated in making sure every step, every sway, every twirl and turn spoke an unspoken word. No one may be listening, but it was important to her that she expressed their existence the best way she knew.

At first her eyes were open to make sure her that her body was meeting the demands of her heart and mind, but soon, her eyes closed, and the lights of the ballroom dyed down. The only light provided being the red glow from outside. It meld with her form to create something beautiful and ominous.

She danced and danced to the songs the orchestra and choir would sing for her. Unknown to her that Prince Judai, who was looking for the bathroom by himself, had been watching her.

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

._._._.

A/N: So yeah. The past lives take their Japanese names while the ones in the present will have their English names. All of this is a mixture of the English and Japanese dubs, and the manga.

Yubel is over protective of Prince Judai (Jaden), but she's not a bad person. Prince Judai is almost like Jaden, but under a lot of pressure to begin with, but is still trying to be cheerful and happy.

Princess Jun is a mixture of Chazz and the light and darkness dragon. She is similar to anime Chazz, but she has a more genuine self-confidence and wisdom despite being only seven-years-old.

Daichi (Bastion) is a were-tiger. Figured since he falls for Tania who is a tiger, too. He is Jun's fiance and best friend, so is a supportive side character.

Ryo (Zane) is a girl in this incarnation, and is the protector of the kingdom with the Cyber End Dragon as her partner. She's also a supportive side character.

Other GX characters may appear.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't want to write tsunderes, but Chazz is one. And I apologize if I write Jaden instead of Judai or any other names that came from the English dub. I grew up with that dub.

._._._.

 _Song: Shut up and dance with me - Walk the Moon_

The second morning came, and Judai was up early because he looked forward to spending another day with Jun! He quickly got ready, but accidentally slipped when he tried to put on his pants. Yubel chuckled at his sloppiness. "I don't think Princess Jun would mind if you are late. I doubt she even cares."

"Don't say that! We had so much fun yesterday!" But Judai was a lot more careful in putting on his clothes, and made sure he smelled good after the quick bath he took. "And last night, I saw her dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Yeah! Last night! She looked amazing!"

"She must be because you never cared for dancing unless it was funny or dramatic. Were you laughing?"

"I like all kinds of dancing, and no! I wouldn't laugh at her! The way she danced was really cool..." He fell silent when he reminisced her dancing in the dim red light in the ballroom. His heart beating strongly by desire to experience watching the moment again.

Yubel didn't like that look. "Prince Judai, you do remember that she's engaged, correct? We may live in a time when polygamy is acceptable, but-"

"What?! NO!" The boy blushed bright red. "I don't have a crush on her!"

"Are you sure? Because you look a tad red." She teased.

The boy flinched at being caught. He covered his cheeks with his palms. "Really?! I guess I kinda do like her."

"Oh no. Please don't tell me that your type of queen is someone like her."

"It wouldn't be that bad! She's smart and bossy! Shouldn't queens be like that? Anyway, let's get going! I heard from the streets yesterday that tomorrow's events will involve swimming!" The boy ran out of his room to go see the princess. He soon found her walking along side who looked like a skinny, well dressed, effeminate looking golem.

"You see, Princess Jun, it's important that we go over these lessons, so that you will be at the top of your game if you were to participate in the duelists war event." The golem told her.

"Princess Jun!" Judai stopped in front of her. "Let's do something fun today! I heard there's a swimming event today!"

"Excuse me, young prince." The golem spoke. "I'm afraid that princess Jun has to be at practice this morning. As the princess, she is expected to enter in at least two events for each festival. She is attending the duelist war event, and the dance final! She must be at her very best, but she will reconvene with you this afternoon after she awards today's winners and losers."

"Oh. You're attending the festival?" Judai was surprised.

Jun answered, "It's important for the princess to express her efforts in front of her people, and accept my wins and losses. It's a request by my parents and my people since I have the habit of spending most of my time studying and working by my parents." Her tone was formal and respectful that Judai and Yubel wondered if this was someone else or if they were being pranked.

Her teacher agreed, "Yes, you are such a hard worker, Princess Jun. You need to be also recognized and have fun in the festival, too!"

"Yes, Cronos De Medici. We should head to my studies. I will reconvene with you, Prince Judai and Yubel, after the swimming contest this afternoon."

The two left the bewildered foreign duo.

"That was...unexpected." Yubel was shocked by not having an insult thrown at her. "She must be putting up a show for that tutor of hers."

"That was pretty creepy. Do I have to act like that?"

"In certain situations, yes. It looks like we will have to get a tour guide again."

Judai pouted. He was really looking forward to spending time with Jun! But duties were duties.

Him and Yubel were given a tour guide who helped them get to the gigantic lake that was deep enough to fit several gigantic water-type duel monsters inside.

They enjoyed shows of different humans and duel monsters doing amazing tricks together and having a musical and a concert performed.

While this was going on, Daichi sat next to them. "Oh, there you are. May I sit with you here."

"Of course! What's up, Daichi?" Judai inquired.

"Nothing much. I take it that the lack of a princess is because said princess is busy with preparing herself for her participation in the festival."

"Yeah." Judai answered sadly. "But she'll be able to play with us after this is over!"

"Indeed. So how are you liking your visit here?"

"It's totally awesome! I saw dead people come out of the ground yesterday!"

"Ah yes. It was Princess Jun's responsibility to wake them. It was nice seeing Uncle Beno again."

Judai didn't know this Beno, but he was more curious at asking, "Hey, does Jun always act so uptight around her tutors?"

"Oh, you must've met Cronos De Medici. Not always. Cronos is her tutor in nearly everything. Especially on her acting skills. When you take on royal duties, it's most important to hide your true feelings for the sake of civility even when things are not swaying your way."

"If that's true," Yubel started, "Then he's not very good at his job after how she acted in front of Prince Judai."

"Oh, come on, Yubel! I'm glad that Jun acted like her true self since that means that we really are friends!" Judai was even more psyched that Jun was being honest with him! He looked even more forward to seeing her!

._._._.

"Perfect! Just absolutely perfect!" Cronos applauded fervently! Jun was covered by a black and white aura that dimmed away. "You never fail to succeed my expectations, Princess Jun! You are beloved by your people, picked out the most suitable fiance for yourself, and even mastered your aura projection for the duelist wars event! You absolutely deserve a break!"

"Thank you, Cronos De Medici. You have been a wonderful teacher." She gave him a similar curtsy that she gave to Ryo yesterday.

"Yes. Yes. Now that we can move business aside, I speak as one of your dear guardians. How was your time with the prince these past two days since his visit?" The two of them took a seat on a comfortable sofa.

Jun replied with her regular tone, but still spoke maturely, "The adopted idiot is a gluttonous portrayal of strength. He's under a lot of pressure with him becoming king, and he not fit to be rule."

"Oh, I'm sure he has the potential."

"I am potential. I am the one working hard and owning up to my destiny, and willing to take the fight it gives. He wants to avoid it."

"That's hardly fair to judge since you're both only children, na no ne."

"Ten years can fly by fast, and the days are short. I applaud him for having a mask of confidence, but he's...he's scared to feel. To hold in his dread, even among his trusted peers, is not good for his health. "

"Our kingdom's customs are not the same as those outside. I hear men are expected to act that way beyond these mountains. I can only imagine the internal damage that they must be suffering from." Her tutor shivered at the mere thought. His femininity was well accepted and even praised by those around him. To express emotions was a strength. To be able to control them in certain situations was well appreciated, but not encouraged to be practiced consistently.

An actor must not entirely be themselves on stage, but they should be who they believe they are with confidence off the stage.

"And he can easily influence that sort of thinking to not be tolerated among his people, but he's too scared." She sighed. "But it's not my place to fix. My focus is on the kingdom, and yesterday, I believe that the schools needs an upgrade in the research department. Students needs an easier way to get the information that they need. The time spent to find it takes up too much of their homework hours. It depletes their time to exercise and relax."

"I'm sure your parents would love to hear that at the upcoming meeting, but I'm not your parent, Princess Jun. Don't try to switch the subjects just to avoid telling me that you've come to care about this young prince."

"That's preposterous! I am not one who's soft at heart to manifest any feelings for an foreigner!"

"Smart words won't make you sound smart when I can read your tone." The golem pointed out.

Jun glared at him with her golden eyes, but they softened. She drew her knees to her chest to hug them. An expression of concern halfway hid behind them.

Her tutor placed a comforting hand on the shoulder farthest from him. "You have a gracious heart, my princess. You challenge those around you, and help those in need, but only with an extended empty hand because you believe in the strength of others. With only a few days with a boy who you worry deeply for, it's understandable that you deny how you feel. In a permanently decided situation such as this, it's best to just let them go, and only cling to hope."

Jun was both tortured and comforted by those words. She did worried deeply for Judai, but refused to express it. No surprise that her tutor saw through her, and her parents must have done so as well. No wonder she was practicing so early for an event that was not until four days later.

"Thank you for speaking the words that I needed to hear, Cronos De Medici. After hearing them, I have the resolve to do my best to be a good influence for the boy." She promised, but then added with a deadpan, "If he doesn't make me want to kill him first."

Her tutor laughed!

._._._.

"Whoa! This is the competition?!" Judai was already off his seat and cheering for the contestants. The contestants were made out of several teams with several different types of people. Members of the teams were to either splash in the water at any height they desired, and the other members were to freeze parts of the splash in order to make a sculpture.

Daichi answered, "Yes. It's called the Ice Splash, and as you can see, they need to make ice sculptures out of the water that was splashed upward. There are several ways that can do this, but it requires a lot of concentration, mathematics, and endurance. The easiest way is to make the water droplets that jump award become ice and manipulate each shop to create a sculpture. But that takes time, and that's why there is a timer, so not a majority of them will use that technique and take up everyone's time for the finish project. Monsters who can manipulate water can only take a certain amount of the water that was splashed upward. It all depends on the size of the one doing the splashing. The bigger, then the lesser of course."

Yubel couldn't help being both entertained and impressed by this. It was similar to watching chefs at work. It's both calming, and the finished product was something to look forward to. "I must say that this is quite an ingenious sport. I can see one of them creating a sculpture of the Legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon."

While the three of them watched, the Dark-End Queen could see them from the balcony that she sat at. "It looks like the prince is enjoying himself."

The foreign king said, "I'm not surprised that he is. This sport is quite intense, and beautiful. I am impressed that the witches are capable of keeping the splashes from creating an earthquake, and from the waves from ruining the other sculptures."

"Thank you! It was my idea!" The Light-End King gloated.

"Yes. Speaking of ideas. I heard that your daughter is already betrothed to one of your citizens already." The foreign king did want to speak of this.

The queen answered, "It was her decision that she made by herself. She knew that she should have a husband, and she believed that it was best to have a fiance at this age, so her king would also be ready to take on the upcoming turmoils in the future."

"That is a very smart move that your daughter made. I must also ask...You've shown me your kingdom. Your offenses, defenses, and the trust that these people instill in you. You have enough number of soldiers to conquer other lands. Expand your mountains."

The Dark-End Queen smirked at the unspoken question. She answered with a tone that sounded whimsical but honest, "In all that is power, your majesty, we are well aware, but we do not care. We created this kingdom for acceptance of life. Not power or bloodshed. You may think we are at peace and boredom here, but the real war is in these very mountains. There are law breakers among us. There are still new diseases out to kill us. There is still hatred and peace may appear like a strong rope, but the material is made out of frail threads. A single tense weight could break it, so it's always important to ease matters here."

Her husband added, "As the oldest and wisest had said, 'it takes a village to raise a child!' And the same logic applies here. It takes us and our most trusted advisers to care for this entire kingdom, and it's still not enough. There's still too much to do. It'd take several generations before our own problems are finally fixed!"

"But your kingdom could gain so much from taking more land. There's riches out there beyond your wildest dream!" The foreign king reminded them.

But the queen shuts down his reason with a proverb, "You get the most out of a visit when you knock at the door. Not kick it down and only take what's valuable by sight. You'll miss the trash that actually cost a fortune. In other words, my people can still travel out of these mountains, and come back with their riches, and their diseases. Some of the inventions, such as vaccines, do not originate from us."

"But don't your people fear discrimination out there?"

The king explained, "The world is dangerous no matter where you go, but if you can thread about it carefully, then its a worthy risk to take. The number one rule is to never say that you came from this kingdom. We are proud of ourselves, but that pride is not worth your life." He spoke his last words with utmost seriousness that the king thought that he turned into a dark-type creature for a second, but the king had that addictive smile.

The queen concluded, "We are a powerful kingdom, but that's only because we put our citizens as our first priority."

Then there was a loud, yet soft jingle that notified the audience that the contest had come to an end, and it was time for the judges to inspect. The sportscaster of the competitions described each and every one of the different, completed ice sculptures. There was an ice sculpture of the Dark Magician girl, one of the Gemini elves, a miniature version of the castle, the Cyber-End Dragon and so much.

While the judges were deciding, the crowd was allowed to get down from the stands and marvel at the beaut of the different sculptures from a certain distance since the judges shouldn't be interfered.

When the judging was done, the crowd went back to their seats. Then the sportscaster announced the arrival of Princess Jun!

Judai searched all around the place, but he didn't see her anywhere.

"She's in the water." Daichi told him.

That confused the boy. "Water?"

Just then, Jun sprang out of the lake in a yellow swimsuit with a ribbon behind her back that looked like a goldfish tail. Mermaids and other swimmers appeared from out of the water, and did a synchronized swimming performance with Jun as their star.

The princess was graceful despite the fact that moving through water was difficult. She looked like she was obviously trained from a very young age to be able to dance with these professional swimmers who also looked graceful and effortless.

Judai was excited to see his friend dance on the floor. "You see, Yubel! Didn't I tell you that she was amazing!"

Yubel did notice her great skill, but that only filled her chest with heat that burned her.

Jun ended the performance with a summery landing on the stage. She formally announced herself, and introduced the synchronized swimmers and expressed deep gratitude for their hard work while at the same time convincing others to join them. She then presented the first prize to the one who sculpted the Blue eyes White Dragon, and then presented the prize to the other winners for their efforts.

The crowd cheered, and then went out to celebrate the winner.

Judai hurriedly got down from the stands to go see Jun. "Hey Jun! Long time no see!"

"Don't be sappy. I just saw you this morning!"

"Yeah, but you missed out on all the awesome performances earlier! There was-"

"I already know, loser." Jun cut him off out of annoyance. She felt embarrassed for what she declared earlier. "I live here, so I see them every year! Besides, I don't have time for you." She walked past the boy to hold Daichi's arm. "My future husband and I need to spend time together!"

"Can't we all spend it together?! You two spent a lot of time together yesterday!"

"Hmph! You do what you want to do!" She pulled Daichi towards the exit of the place.

Judai proclaimed, "If that's the case, then I'm spending it with you guys!" He ran after them.

"No, you dolt! Go away!"

"But I don't wanna, and you can't make me!" Judai grinned goofy with his hands behind his head.

Yubel watched them leave before following. She felt conflicted, but she was sure that these feelings would go away once they leaved this wretched kingdom.

The three kids had fun with the various games presented, ate different types of free food, and then found themselves mixed up in a random dance at a paved street.

It seemed like people were into it and others were thrown into it like Ryo who wasn't one for dancing, but was caught in the arms of jolly citizens going around and around. The uncomfortable expression on her face made the children laugh, but they stopped when they joined in. Judai and Jun still looked like they were enjoying themselves while Daichi wasn't since he was known to dance like he had two left feet.

He nearly fell but Jun caught him, and the two were caught in a messy waltz. When Daichi decided that he needed to sit, Judai quickly took Jun's hands and the two were in a messy waltz. Jun didn't mind. She was high on the joy and the music around them.

Yubel had stayed away from the crowd by hovering in the air. She liked seeing her prince happy, but she hated that it was with the princess. It didn't look right. It wasn't right.

When the dancing and music faded away, and traveled to other places, Jun was still on her feet and twirling around. She was following the music while Judai was on the ground exhausted. "Man...I never danced so much." He sounded parched.

Yubel came to him with a bottle of water that the prince thankfully drank. "Pwuah! That was so much fun! We should do that again, Ju-" He realized that the girl was gone.

Daichi informed him that she traveled with the music, and is most likely dancing with another crowd. "Princess Jun was born a dancer. She could never hold her body still even when she was developing in the queen's womb. She did develop a sense of control and style now, but it looks like she can still dance throughout the day. It makes the shoemakers happy because she ruins pair after pair."

"Really?! And I thought that I was the hyperactive one!" Judai grinned at discovering something else about Jun. "Is there anything that she isn't good at? She's so smart, and brave, and awesome!"

"And rude, and pretentious, and egotistical." Yubel added scornfully.

"But that just makes her pretty confident!" Judai pointed out.

"More like a snob if you ask me." Yubel grumbled.

Both boys didn't catch that. Daichi chuckled. "It sounds to me like you've been caught in Princess Jun's web."

"Web? She's a spider?"

"No. That's was a figure of speech. What I mean is that you've been charmed by Princess Jun like many are. It's true that Princess Jun is quite the overwhelming company, but she's very appealing and praiseworthy. She's like a star. Get close to it and you'll be sucked into its gravity and burned alive, but is beautiful and mysterious from afar. It's a good thing that you are leaving after a week if you are this smitten with her."

"Prince Judai is not smitten with her!" Yubel roared.

The prince was confused. "What's smitten?"

"Not a word that you need to familiarize yourself with now, my prince! What this boy is saying is unsubstantiated!"

"Unsubstantiated? Are we still speaking our language here?"

Daichi snorted. "I think we should go find the princess."

"Yeah! Oh wait, what do you mean that it's a good thing I'm leaving after all this?" Judai asked as they walked.

"I don't mean any offense. Only that although Princess Jun does let people in her world, she disregards - I mean - She abandons concepts like romance."

"Romance? You mean like kissing and stuff?"

"Sort of like that. What I'm saying is, if your feelings do become romantic, she'll never admit to liking you back that way."

Judai wasn't thinking about ever being in a romantic relationship at all, but he was confused by what this kid was saying. "But you two are getting married in the future."

"That's a political strategy. We're not romantically in love with each other."

"Oh...So you're saying that if I wanted Jun as my girlfriend, it'll never happen even if she likes me back."

"That's the deal. That's why many boys my age, or parents looking for an advantage, don't try to appeal to her through promises of romance. I hope that my saying that you may fall for Princess Jun wasn't pretentious."

"Not at all/Yes it was." Judai and Yubel answered simultaneously. The prince wasn't bothered at all, but the duel monster seemed to want to object any notions at all.

Daichi chuckled again. These two were amusing.

._._._.

 _Song: Iris - Goo Goo Dolls_

The third day came, and Jun was being tutored in the morning again, so Judai had to go with Yubel and Daichi to the Eating Contest. Judai wanted to join, but Yubel and his adopted father both denied. He was allowed to eat all the food that was presented at the competition afterwards.

He ate happily with everyone. Jun reminded him as he swallowed his food, "Don't forget to chew."

Jun drank her tea peacefully until she spilled a bit. Not thinking that anyone was looking, she wiped it with her sleeve.

"HA!" But Judai caught her. "Yo-ACK!" He began choking on his food.

"PRINCE JUDAI!" Yubel caught him and gave did the Heimlich maneuver. The food shot out immediately, and landed on the Dark End Queen's face.

"MY QUEEN!" Her husband screeched. Everyone else's jaw dropped.

Judai was wheezing for air while Yubel was horrified and wished that they were facing another direction. She was already planning what to say to Judai before her execution.

Belo gave her a napkin which she used to wipe her face, and then burst out laughing! Jun also burst out laughing. The Light End King was somewhat amused by the situation as he used his napkin to properly clean his love's face.

Judai weakly laughed while everyone else was still pretty horrified and confused. Daichi didn't like abrupt situations like these.

After the laughter died down, the queen recommended that they continued their feast. The foreign king and Yubel were too frightened to ask if that was alright. They decided to just play along, and continued to eat, but slowly.

Judai also ate at a better pace. He then snickered at Jun as he whispered, "I saw what you did!"

Jun blushed but hid it behind her tea, and then said in a composed matter, "I don't know what you're talking about."

That made the boy snicker more.

Afterwards, Judai needed to use the restroom, and had Daichi help him find it again, so he could ask, "Hey, does Jun use her sleeves to wipe the tea off the table?"

"What?" Daichi was confused. "I don't think she does."

"Oh, okay!" Judai sported the brightest grin he ever made since his visit. He knew something about Jun that Daichi didn't know! That made him really happy. So happy that his cheeks were hurting by all that grinning!

Jun was with her parents at the library again, and her mother was still giggly about what happened earlier. "It just absolutely amuses me that he got too excited knowing that you use your sleeves like a napkin." She giggled. "That boy is quite the entertainment!"

Her giggly father agreed. "I absolutely agree! Let's keep him around for another week!"

"No!" Jun absolutely denied. "I can't stand him for another week!"

"I was merely joking, baby." Her father giggled.

Jun scowled at them. She excused herself, and went to the flower fields. It was cool at night, but her wings kept her covered from the light blow of the winds. She went to one of the trees to find her hammock. It was high enough so the red light around her castle didn't distract her from staring up at the night sky filled with stars.

She enjoyed her moment of silence and peace. As a princess, she had to be surrounded by people constantly. She loved the attention, but she was an introvert, meaning that she needed time to recharge her energy to be sociable.

A few hours went by without too much ruckus until "So there you are!"

Jun felt her heart pound hard when she heard the annoying boy's voice. She looked down to see Judai sitting on Belo's shoulder in the air.

The prince was all smiles, "I saw you flying away earlier, and I got curious of where you were going, so I got my man, Belo, here to help me find you! Thanks a lot, Belo."

The servant nodded its head.

Jun felt an eye twitch. "You numbskull! Ever think of a reason why I flew away!"

"Because you wanted to?" Judai figured.

"More than that! I wanted some peace and quiet at a place where no one can easily come and bother me! Especially someone like you!"

"Oh, I get it! But you've been out here for hours! Aren't you bored?"

"Sometimes doing nothing is fun." Jun declared. "Belo, go back, and while you're at it, drop him on your way there. We'll make it look like an accident."

The servant nodded.

Judai wasn't on board, and hopped off to the hammock. "Wait! I just wanted to talk! We never got to talk alone since the day before yesterday! Please!"

Jun felt that she shouldn't but at the same that that she should, and this was an opportunity to fulfill her duty. But she wasn't going to be nice about it! "Fine! Belo, you may go. I'll drop him off myself, but if he provokes me to do anything, we'll make it look like an accident."

"Oh come on, Jun! You don't mean that."

"Get the shovels ready." She deadpanned.

The servant nodded and flew away. Judai still thought she was kidding. Jun wasn't sure herself.

"So," She started, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Hm? How about the fact that you use your sleeves as a napkin! URK!" Judai was caught in a choke hold by the princess!

"How about we keep that as our little secret, or I'll push you off this hammock, and even if we both fall, I'm the one with wings!" She threatened as she tightened her hold.

Judai wasn't able to speak, so tapped at the girl to signal that he gave in. She understood, so let him go to breath.

When the boy could properly breathe, he commented, "Man! You know how to hurt someone!"

"Of course! It's important that someone of our position knows how to fight for themselves in battle!"

"Like how you're going to do that in the duelist wars?"

"Idiot! The duelist wars are more complicated like that, and it's a pain to explain it to you, so wait until Daichi comes around to do it! Is there anything you actually wanted to talk about, or did you just want to annoy me?!"

"Ah, you caught me! I came here because I like being with you."

Jun blushed bright red! "Yo-You-YOU IDIOT!" She accidentally pushed him off the hammock, but at the same time slipped off. She quickly grabbed him, and had themselves floating in the air. She yelled at him, "Idiot! You don't tell someone like that! They'll misinterpret it!"

"Misinterpret?"

"Augh! I mean that they'll mistake it as a love confession or something. You gotta make it clearer like 'I like talking to you' or 'spending time with you'. Not 'be with you'. Those words goes too far!"

"But I like being with you!"

"No idiot!" She headbutt him.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"It's your fault! You're not listening!"

"I am, but I still don't understand why you're mad!"

Jun wanted to drop him but instead settled them on the hammock again. She tried explaining it better, "You see, Prince Judai, when you say 'be with someone', it holds the same meaning as 'I like dating you'. You don't mean it that way, but that's how other people hear it. Get it, doofus?"

"OOOOh! I get it! But really Jun, I like being with you. I like talking with you."

"You're only saying that because you think I understand you. I do understand you to some extent, but not entirely. Plus, don't you have Yubel to confide in?"

"I know I can talk to Yubel. She's my very best friend, but I don't think I can talk to her about that kind of stuff. I don't want to say anything bad about her, but she's also depending on me to fulfill my role as the Supreme King. But you don't care about that, and that makes me happy."

Jun inwardly sighed. "I guess that would be a comfort. But you're only here for a week, and then you have to live with going back to the way things were."

Judai frowned. "Yeah. I don't want to, though."

"Don't be an idiot. You have a country to rule, and if you want someone to confide in, then be honest with Yubel. Tell her how you truly feel about being Supreme King, and what you want from her."

"But-"

"Look here Judai. You met someone like me who sees you as someone more than the Supreme King, but that's only because I don't care. But it would be better if you had an ally who did care, but still see you for you. You can't get someone like that unless you're honest. Maybe it'll hurt Yubel's feelings when you talk it out, but success isn't accomplished without problems arising. If Yubel truly cares about you, and you truly care for her, then you need to be honest and depend on each other. That's why I'm forward with Daichi. I trust him to understand and not reject me for it, but instead try to work it out if it's a really big problem, and you have a really big problem."

"I still don't know if I can." Judai felt his chest feel uncomfortable, and spiders crawling on his back.

Jun held his hand, and squeezed it. The boy looked at her to see her sport a serious expression for a seven year old, and then a lovely, encouraging smile. An expression that Jun saw on her parents face many times when they needed support. "I know you can, Judai."

Judai stared at her in awe for a few moments before smiling back. "I guess I can try!" The boy still wasn't sure, but he sure felt more confident than before! Then he began bombarding Jun with questions! "Hey! Hey! What's your favorite color?! Mine is red!"

Jun figured that she should comply. She answered that hers was purple.

The boy's favorite types of duel monsters were heroes while Jun's own were dragons. His favorite catchphrase was, 'Gotcha!'. Jun didn't have one, but she made one on the spot that went by 'One! Ten! Thousand! Ten Thousand Thunder!' (Sounds cooler in Japanese).

Judai's favorite food was fried shrimp, and Jun embarrassingly admit that they were her favorite, too. The boy got way too excited knowing that they shared similar likes.

They talked throughout the night, even when they were tired. In the end, Jun fell asleep first, and since she was the trip home, Judai just smiled and hugged her as he fell asleep, too. Jun's wings kept them warm.

._._._.

"IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!" A flustered Jun shouted at Daichi while the two were walking down the hall with Judai and Jun. Today was the fourth day, and it was the Fears Relish competition. It was a courage trial where competitors had to either enter a forest or a building and face their fears. Only people with fears was allowed to enter, and they lose if they run back out, but win if they can cross it and exit from the back. The first one out wins.

"Oh yes. Finding you in the embrace of another boy this morning isn't suspicious at all." Daichi was not mad at all, but he found his fiancee's reactions quite comical. He loved playing around with her like this.

Yubel on the other hand was beyond furious inside, but she didn't do anything for peace sake. Judai was just grinning like an idiot.

"It's not! The idiot wasn't supposed to be there in the first place!"

"And he was because..."

"I don't know!" She pointed at Yubel. "How about you ask him! Aren't you his keeper?! Come on, Daichi!" She grabbed her fiance's arms to get away from the two.

Yubel forgot her anger to focus on her prince who looked like he was pushed to a corner. "What did she mean by that, Prince Judai?"

The prince frowned deeply. "Uhm..."

._._._.

The competitions went on, and Judai and Yubel hadn't arrived at all to watch. Jun felt guilty for putting Judai in that situation, but it's better now than never!

"So what is the story between you and the prince?" Daichi asked. He wasn't really amused by the horrific reactions display on the giant screen provided.

Jun glared at him. "What do you mean story? He saw me fly to my favorite spot, and he ruined my night."

"But something must've happened for you to force a much needed conversation between those two." The genius seven-year-old saw the motive easily.

The princess knew that, but she liked being stubborn. But she knew better than to be that. "He doesn't know how to depend on his comrades. It's absolutely important to form unbreakable bonds at this age. We are at our purest and happiness because we have the least responsibilities at this time, and knowing that someone can remember those stuff can be our remedy during our most stressful times."

"And you think that Yubel can accomplish this? She's quite duty bound, don't you think?"

"We both are, but we still have fun, and cherish these moments for both our sake." She held his hand tightly. "Like moments like these." She smiled gratefully at him. "I'm having a lot of fun with you, Daichi. Even if you're a complete nerd."

Daichi smiled back. "Same. Even if you're a complete drama queen."

"Hmph! That's drama Princess Jun to you!" She silently giggled.

"Yes. Yes. All hail the drama princess! Her first demand is that everyone has to have her name embroidered everything! Everything! Plates, doilies, baby products and toilet paper! Especially the toilet paper!"

Jun punched his arm, but she was still silently laughing. "Idiot!"

They both laughed to their own jokes while contestants were screaming in the background.

._._._.

Judai and Yubel sat at the prince's room where they had the talk. Judai was really uncomfortable and felt like backing away at first, but he remembered Jun's words last night. He still wanted to back out, but he knew this conversation had to happen eventually. Might as well get it over with, so he forced words out, and tried to sew them together, and he felt fake. Yubel also looked absolutely confused.

Then he stopped, took a deep breath, and spoke the truth. And like he expected. Yubel was hurt, but she looked...understanding.

She said, "I see. I made a mistake then."

"Mistake?" Judai didn't know how to narrow that.

Yubel clarified, "I thought that I would be more helpful with your transition to the Supreme King by treating you as such, but now I realized that you will become the Supreme King no matter what, and I should've paid attention to who you are now because you're only a child once."

"So...you're not mad?"

"Mad?! Why would I be mad?!"

"Because I told you something awful! I mean, I was fine with it, but I guess, I did...want you to stop doing that. Once in a while, I'd like to forget that I'm the Supreme King and just be Judai. A kid who can have fun."

"I understand. I also want to have fun." Yubel held his hand. "I promise never to treat you as the Supreme King again until true duty calls."

At the sound of that, Judai absolutely beamed!

The two went to the competition to see that the competition was over, and a winner was made. The people were partying with scary masks on, and some of them did scare the goosebumps out of the duo. Yubel almost hit one of them, but the masked scare offender ran off in a chaotic matter.

It felt like they just entered a world trying to catch your heart by making it launch out of their chests.

The duo eventually found Daichi and Jun who were waltzing through a frightening forests with animate limbs that tried to capture the dancing pairs, but they breezed through their extended blades.

The two tried to catch up to them, but they got either caught by the limbs, slipped into traps, or accidentally angered some passerbyers.

When the two noticed them, they giggled, and decided to help them, by taking their hands. Jun took Judai's own and Daichi took Yubel's own despite the males being too short to take the lead. The dancing started out awkward since the foreign duo were stiff, but after some warming up, they began going with the flow til the end of the forest.

The four of them continued the day with eating, rowing a boat down a river of chocolate down a mountain, bouncing on a big chubby tummy of a large cat, getting their portraits drawn in a goofy style, and then eating again until it became night again.

They all fell deep asleep after having a fun day. The next day was also great fun. The competition was called Team Break, which was a game where different obstacles were made and suited for a specific type, so each team needed someone that matched that specific type. This was to encourage unity between different duel monsters and humans. However, the reason that the competition had the word 'Break' was because in certain obstacles, there were opportunities to drag back anyone who is actively going through their obstacle. If this were to happen, and the one targeted needs help getting forward again, they can all up another team member to give them that push. But that person can only push them to their original spot before they were pushed back, and cannot be called up twice.

The game was so intense that the kids were mostly silent at a hotel room as they watched the competitors fight with all they got to get to first place. They were either jumping off their seats, grunting, groaning, screaming 'Yes' or 'No', and then throwing pillows at each other when they realize that they're rooting for different teams.

The one that Judai was rooting for won, and he was jumping on the couch. Jun threw a pillow at him, but Judai caught it and threw it at her face. That got her to lunge herself at him, and wrestle on the floor. Jun was the one winning since she had better training and rage while Judai as laughing!

After the two go separated, they decided to make up by drinking smoothies and eating delicious snacks. They just had childish fun by playing a laser game with harmless laser toy guns, painting each others faces, dressing up in goofy clothes, and do weird, funny dances when music began playing.

When they felt their energy depleting, they decided to end it by riding the carousel.

 _Song: Beautiful Mess - Jason Mraz  
_

Judai sat on the shoulders of fake Bubbleman while Jun sat on the curved back of the arm dragon. Bastion and Yubel settled at the carriage. When the ride moved, Judai was crying out his joy while Jun was yelling at him with whatever insult because she didn't want to show her own childish excitement. Judai just grinned at her because he knew what she was doing.

It made her blush bright red in embarrassment, but she couldn't help softly smiling. These last few days were fun. Judai's childish grin slowly faded into a soft smile aimed directly at her.

The two smiled at each other without any discomfort. They just stared at each other until the ride ended. Jun broke eye contact first, and got off her ride. He also got off, and Judai wanted to hold her hand, but Jun held Daichi's hand instead, and looked at him with a satisfied smile. The two walked away from the carousel.

The seven-year-old boy frowned at the sight. Disappointed that he wasn't hold her hand. He could, but he...didn't want to hold it like that.

"Is something wrong Prince Judai?" Yubel inquired. She didn't know what to think of that complex expression the boy sported.

Judai answered, "I'm just really tired...and happy...I'm going to miss this place." He said his last sentence while secretly glancing at Jun. He knew he liked her, but he didn't understand why it felt so...strong but...awkward. His chest hurt.

Yubel comforted him, "It's not like you'll be gone forever. You'll see her when you become the Supreme King, and she'll be the queen of this kingdom that's not as bad as I thought."

That made Judai feel a happiness that he didn't know was hope. "Yeah! And we'll be the best we can be! I'll be a king who can stand by her side!" Judai promised.

Yubel softly gasped. It was the first time she heard Judai happily wanted to become the Supreme King.

...and it was for her.

Jun gave Daichi a kiss on the cheek before letting him go home. She went to her room, and was tired, but her heart was not content, so she went to the ballroom and danced her heart away in the silence. Her beating heart and happiness was her music. She kept leaping in the air because she felt like flying, so she began dancing in the air. She didn't care about her form. She just closed her eyes and let her body work itself until her emotions could calm down!

She kept dancing and dancing until she could take a decent deep breath and her mind whining for rest. She then opened her eyes and-

"WHAT?!" She looked around her and saw that she was surrounded by a bunch of brown fur balls with purple eyes and green...paws?

"Did...Did I make you?"

One of them rose to the air, and approached her. It explained that it was the first one who popped up and accidentally multiplied asexually, and some of them had different colors, but it was most likely due to an evolution reason. It seemed that they have very strong genetic adaptation.

Jun was shocked that she did this. She knew she could create one since she had a human ancestor, but she noticed the way their fur was styled! She wanted to crawl in a hole and die! This was so embarrassing!

She was happy all because of JUDAI!

She groaned for a second before immediately taking charge. "If you claim to be the original then you'll have wings, so I can keep track of you! And since you keep speaking 'Kuri Kuri', then your species will be called 'Kuriboh' since 'boh' means 'sound creature'! It's clever isn't it!"

The kuribohs chirped in agreement!

Then there was a loud knock.

"Jun?" Judai's voice said.

Jun felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest! She quickly flied kicked Judai's eyes, and then shut the doors behind her! "Don't open the door without permission idiot! Ever heard of privacy!"

"I-I'm sorry. Ow..." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Didn't feel like anything broke. He's been hit harder by accident anyway. "I just wanted to wish you a goodnight."

"Fine. Goodnight." She told him with a frustrated tone. She was afraid that the kuribohs may populate in the room to the point that they broke the doors open and flood the kingdom, and they all figured out her true feelings about the prince.

"Oh c'mon, Jun! You can give me a better one than that! Say 'Gooood niiiight, Judai'!" He sang.

"What makes you think that'll I'll refer to you so casually?!"

"You did the other night!" Judai vividly remembered!

Jun also did, too, and took him in a chokehold! "No I didn't and you better just go to bed or I'm gonna do what I should've done that night! Understand?!"

"I understand! I understand! Well then, good night!" Judai snuck a kiss to her cheek, and grinned at her flabbergasted expression!

But then it almost dropped when she took a flail that was put on display at the wall, and tried to use it to kill him! She kept yelling, "IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT!"

They kept running until Jun lost sight of him. She remembered what she left at the ballroom, and ran there, and hoped that no one found them! But to her dread, the one person she was hoping wouldn't find them was there.

"Oh Jun. I didn't know you could create something so cute." Her mother smiled so sweetly as she affectionately patted the kuriboh with wings. A stranger would think she was acting lovely, but Jun knew better, so her blood ran cold. That sweet smile was definitely how her mother would pulled a devilish smirk.

._._._.

The day of the Duelist wars came, and Judai was stoke to see what the game was about! He had Daichi try to explain it to him, but it sounded too difficult to wrap his head around!

The tournament was taking place at several locations throughout all three rings of the nation! Nearly everyone was a contestant, and Judai saw what Daichi meant by 'aura projection'. It looked like with the advanced technology of the kingdom, they were able to scan nearly every duel monster and human with skills, and apply it to the cards they used. This duplication somehow protected the duelists from going to the stars. This meant that they were free to fight with all they got without the worry of death.

His eyes marveled at the sight of people using their cards for _fun_.

"Intrigued are you, little prince?" A flamboyant dressed man with long silver hair asked with a smooth, teasing tone. The two were standing near a duel that was currently happening in the middle of a street. One of the duelist threw up a card that unleashed a monster, and threw up another one to equip it.

"Totally! I wanna join!"

The man chuckled. "Perhaps you may. I do plan on expanding my creation beyond these mountains."

"You will? Wait! You're the creator of this!"

"The one and only Pegasus J. Crawford! And I know that you are the one and only Prince Judai! The boy who will become the Supreme King and unite several kingdoms! I hope that the product that you see before you is to your liking!"

"Absolutely!"

"Prince Judai!" Yubel scolded him, "Don't answer out of whims! Especially when one is talking of business!"

"But it really is cool! People are dueling without dying! Don't you see the possibilities that this could bring to our world! People can duel for fun! No one has to die!" The boy was truly overjoyed by this!

"But how was this accomplished?" Yubel asked the important question. It's best to truly understand the product.

Pegasus chuckled. "My. My. So you must be Yubel. The prince's best friend and guardian. It's charming to meet you. I assure you that the process of creating this beautiful device came with a few sacrifices."

"A few?" Yubel immediately lost trust in him.

But he wagged his finger as he said as a matter-of-fact, "Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and there was a contract involved, so no one who didn't understand the risks died in the process. Those who did served a great purpose to allow this to happen. This way our citizens can make decisions among themselves since it demonstrates a person's tactical and strategic skills, or perhaps that they have better luck."

"Sweet! Can I play?!"

"I'm afraid that you can't, my dear prince Judai. You need to first be registered in the data and go through other several requirements before you become eligible to be one of the duelists. But like I said before, you may have a chance outside of these mountains once my business spreads like wildfire. So how about that?"

"I'm totally game for that!"

"JUDAI!" Yubel screeched.

"But Yubel-"

"I understand your excitement, but you cannot be sold on a product without thorough investigation!"

"But they're obviously work in front of us, and Jun's parents wouldn't allow this if it wasn't already investigated!"

"We are in a different country with different standards! Do I have to pull out the history lessons and philosophy books to understand why jumping on board with an agreement too soon is one of the worse things you could do as someone who will lead a country in the future!" Yubel threatened, and Judai was absolutely spooked at the possibility of a loooong lecture!

Pegasus contained his laughter, and suggested, "Then how about a tour at my factory? It's not far from here, and I'll be your high esteemed tour guide. What do you two fine people think of that?"

Judai's eyes gleamed. "Really?! Heck yes!"

Yubel wanted to deny, but it was a good suggestion, so conceded to let the inventor bring them to the factory.

The building wasn't that far after all, and they expected a large scientific building, but what they were welcomed into was a cartoon-looking mysterious castle. The inside was filled with creatures who looked smaller and more goofy looking then the duel monsters and humans they looked similar to.

They were introduced to a beautiful woman named Cecelia who turned out to be the foppish man's wife. They looked truly in love that as the tour was given, it was mostly filled with giggles and flirts between the couple.

Yubel and Judai would often look at each other with furrowed brows when they did that.

At the end of the tour that proved the their product was harmless, and that those who died were deeply honored for their sacrifice, Cecelia had Yubel help her move some stuff in her office since her assistants were out dueling.

That left Pegasus alone with the prince. "You know, Prince Judai, I've been informed by my queen that you have been having fun with the princess. Between men, do you plan on making her your queen?"

"What?! No! Dude, I'm seven years old! I don't think about girls at all!"

"Jun darling is more of a young lady than a girl, and she has that charm to her that makes people proud to have her as their future queen despite her faults. But do you want a word of advice?" The older man offered.

Judai felt that the way he offered sounded a bit odd though. "Uh...sure?"

 ** _"Never marry her."_**

"What?" Judai was caught off guard by this sudden demand that sent shivers under his skin.

Pegasus was smiling innocently though. "I'm sorry for how that sounded, but you see, I have a gift given by time, and it's because this gift is given to many that this kingdom was created in the first place. But I'm...different with this gift. I see further into the past and future than any wise old sage you may meet with the same gift."

"Why...why are you telling me this?" Judai couldn't see the future, but he felt a premonition.

Pegasus smiled at the young child. It looked like it could be from either amusement or pity. "You don't know do you. That the reason this kingdom was created was because of you. The fact that your very existence is the reason that what Jun is, is hated by the rest of this dimension. Because other people with gifts similar to mine dared to only see the greater things in life, and never once saw a single spark that made this all come true."

He looked away from the boy as if gathering his thoughts. Judai didn't know what to say. He didn't understand what was happening other than the fact that hatred was being caused because of him, and that hatred was directed towards Jun.

The creator with the power of retrocognition and precognition concluded his words, "The past I saw is filled with love, but the future I see beyond what these eyes will see is filled with pain and sorrow for Princess Jun, and she'll need you as a friend."

Judai understood that! He passionately declared, "I'll definitely be there for her! You can count on that!"

"But you need to promise me one thing. It's a very important promise." Pegasus knelled down to Judai's height to show the seriousness in his eyes. "By keeping this promise, you can live a long happy life with Princess Jun. Do you understand?"

Judai felt like he was being given a big responsibility, but it sounded better (easier/safer) than his responsibility as the Supreme King. He nodded.

Pegasus gave an indecipherable smile with an equally bewildering tone, "Promise me to never confess your love for Princess Jun."

"Confess my love?"

"You don't understand it now, but when you grow up, and discover the love that I'm talking about, you must keep it a secret."

"Why?"

"Because it's Pandora's box, dear Judai-boy. If you confess your love for Jun darling, then chaos will break loose. A chaos like the Light of Destruction cruising in to destroy everything in its path...So will you take the promise?"

Judai didn't quite understand, but he did know that by making this promise, then Jun was protected! He wanted that more than anything at that moment. "I promise, Mr. Pegasus! You can count on me!"

The man held that indecipherable smile. "So much passion, and now I see tha-" He closed his eyes and stopped speaking when he heard the females approaching them. "Aah, so our most beautiful company is back. Shall we end the tour and get back to the tournament?"

They agreed, and Cecelia believed that it was time that the twelve ten finalists must be dueling already at the arena.

Yubel noticed the distant look on Judai's face, and asked of what was wrong quietly. Judai answered that he was just taking the dueling business seriously. He felt bad for lying, but he felt like even if he could be honest about the Supreme thing with her, he wasn't sure if he could about Jun. He knew that Yubel didn't like her much, and didn't want Yubel to confront her or Pegasus.

He just buried what he promised inside him, and put his whole concentration on the duels taking place at the arena.

From the balcony that he mostly stood at by the edge of the rail, he watched with an ecstatic expression at the intense duels that took place! He cheered for Jun who fought with dragons in her deck!

She was an inspiration! She stood tough against the attacks while never losing her composure. Using her cards to the best of their abilities, and being a step ahead of her opponents. The crowd cheered for her, and she welcomed their attention and gave it back with a display of her star quality! It was no surprise that she ended up at the final two, and was up against Ryo.

The two females took up the space of the arena with their monsters and face down cards that were used at the opportune moments. The duel was heart racing or stopping because no one knew what the other would pull.

The crowd thought they were pulling all the stops, but then Ryo said, "I get the feeling that you're finally pulling out your top weapon. I held back just to watch it come to life for the first time." She smirked confidently by her educated guess.

The princess smirked back. "Me too, so we both can bring out our souls on the field! Then here it comes!" After playing her cards right, she announced her top duel monster with a powerful speech, "In this competition, everyone poured out their hearts and minds; the very essence of who they are, and put it in this battle! Maybe to win, but most of all to prove that they have a fighting spirit within themselves! And it may not win this battle, but it's not out of the war! So everyone, here comes mine! LIGHT AND DARKNESS DRAGON!"

She didn't throw a card up in the air. Instead, it looked like her aura left her body, and took the shape of a dragon that was half black and white with wings just like Jun. Their eyes gleaming gold by their competitive spirit.

Everyone screamed out their approval. Judai was silent as he stared at the terrifying beauty that represented Jun's soul.

Ryo was also impressed and proud by the reveal of the fight of her life. "I am most honored to be the one to go up against your magnificent spirit, but I'm afraid that it won't be enough for Cyber End Dragon!" She unleashed her monster.

The two dragons duked it out, and Jun knew her dragon wasn't stronger than Ryo's, so she had her cards ready to back this up, but it wasn't enough against Ryo who played her cards like the warrior she was. She defeated Princess Jun without mercy, but that only made the princess burn in a blaze of glory.

Princess Jun lost that day, but the crowd cheered for her as if she was the winner because she displayed a great amount of effort that moved her people. Ryo as well knelled down to her princess as if she had lost.

Jun smiled at her people, but fell to the ground unconscious. Ryo immediately checked her and reassured her people that she only fainted. Pegasus explained that the strain of pulling such a daring move without a card had worn her out, but she would be fine by tomorrow morning.

"If she was going to be weakened because of that, why did she go through with it?!" Yubel demanded an answer!

Daichi answered, "That's because Princess Jun hadn't mastered being able to shift into a dragon like how I mastered being able to shift from a tiger to a human, So Pegasus and her had tried an alternative. She wanted her first duel to be memorable. Even though it was a needless risk, it did produce the desired effect to raise the spirits of those who lost during the several competitions before, and inspire those to start being productive."

"Will she be okay?" Judai asked warily.

Daichi reassured him with a warm smile, "Princess Jun is far too resilient to let something like this to hold her back from being fine for tomorrow. After all, it's the Arts Alive event."

"Arts Alive?" The two foreigners questioned simultaneously.

Daichi explained, "Tomorrow is the last day of the life festival, and everyone agreed that the best way to end it is by displaying beautiful but not destructive or permanent art throughout the town. There will be paintings, sculptures, films and many other art crafts displayed at different places, models strutting around in new and probably impractical clothing, and street performances all around. But the most anticipated at the end of the day is Princess Jun dancing for her people."

Judai's eyes lit up at that. "She'll dance in front of the whole crowd? Is that possible?"

"It's definitely the concert of the life time, and the one who gets to see her dance up close will be us and a few other special people. The rest will watch her by the special eye wear provided by Pegasus. It will look as if you are seeing her dance from the front row."

"I'm not interested in seeing her dance. It can't be anything that special, other than to stroke her own ego." Yubel was not at all convinced that a snobbish, dramatic princess like her would make everyone want to watch her to that extent.

"Maybe you won't be moved by it, but when I watch her..." Daichi reminisced the experience. His eyes looked dreamy and his soft smile provoking a reluctant curiosity in the duel monster. "It's just...so raw."

"Raw?" Judai was thinking about uncooked eggs on a skillet.

"You'll understand when you watch her under the spotlight." Daichi promised them that they were in for a delightful performance.

._._._.

The next morning, Jun woke up just as the sun was rising. Its rays that touched her father's statue next to the clock tower made it be engulfed in the beautiful colors that hid within them while her mother's statue became darker and thus looking far more wicked and mysterious. Jun, in her dimly lit room, looked neither wicked nor beautiful. Just a lovely case of normal, and that was comfortable.

However, she realized that today was the last day that she could be with the prince, and wished it wasn't true.

 _Song: Finale - David Newman from Anastasia  
_

Judai also realized that when he woke up, and he sat up on his bed with a far away look. He didn't want to leave the kingdom. He didn't want to leave Jun. He then realized that he was wasting precious seconds, so he jumped right out of bed, and ran to her room.

Jun exited her room just as he was about to knock on it. Although he looked like he was about to just crash through like a bull. The princess was also planning on seeing him, but she was actually dressed in a lovely one shoulder, chiffon dress that starts out black at the top, but gradually fades to a warm sunset purple. Crystals that looked like silver stars adorned her gown and the corners upper outer corners of her eyes. Her spiky mohawk was tamed into voluminous curls with braids. She also wore silver heels, earrings, and intricate circlet also shone like starlight.

Judai stared at her. Completely lost in the new transformation.

"Princess, don't forget your scarf." The one responsible for this work of art handed her the matching purple scarf that she was to have at either the sides of her shoulders or over her elbows. The two heads looked over to Judai. "I believe it's your turn." They snatched the boy, and dressed him in what looked like an elf costume.

Jun laughed at his ridiculous appearance! It wasn't so much the clothes that was ridiculous, but how Judai wore them. The way he tried to move in them like a lost, confused fellow was hilarious to her who had always walked with natural grace and attitude.

She decided to teach him that morning on how to present himself, so he wouldn't be laughed at by the rest of the nation. Judai thought it was ridiculous, but he liked seeing Jun smiling at him. It made him grin like a fool.

When he learned enough, the seven-year-olds went out to the kingdom with Yubel and Daichi who didn't dress for the occasion. Yubel cared only about packing to leave for the next morning. Daichi simply didn't want to go through the trouble of dressing up. He had an important experiment to do in the morning.

The children spent most of their time sightseeing, hearing, tasting, taking in the scents, touching, and reacting to the different arts that was at every corner they turned to. It was a very stimulating event that even Yubel was drawn to the teachings of some artists who were either drawers, bakers, scientists, performers, or any of the kind.

Jun and Judai received many compliments for their appearance, and they gave theirs, too. Many told Daichi of how jealous they were that he was engaged to just a beautiful young lady who showed potential to become a magnificent woman.

Judai also voiced how jealous he was which got him a vicious glare from Yubel, a slap from Jun, and a laugh from Daichi.

The day was just filled with light, warm feelings because when the seconds were ticking by without a care, there was nothing else to do about it other than bask in every one of them.

However, it still felt like the sun was setting too soon. They were sitting at a bench facing the clock tower, enjoying the transitions of the dragons' appearances with ice cream.

"They really looked like they're both coming alive no matter what time of day." Judai commented.

"That's the beautiful works of art." Daichi said. "The very symbol of our nation is indeed a forever rising endeavor."

"Life and Acceptance." Jun lied on her fiance's shoulder. Enjoying his warmth as the wind became cooler. "Maybe we should have a tradition that each married royalty should have a statue similar to theirs. The mountain is big enough to fit generations worth."

Daichi thought that was a good idea, too.

Judai silently ate his ice cream. He was happy for Jun and Daichi, but he felt...left out.

The night soon came, and Jun needed to be excused to get ready for her performance.

The rest of them were to go into a packed theater, and took their front seats at the mezzanine section.

The kings and queen were present with them.

"How has been your days, my king?" Yubel asked her own king.

The foreigner replied, "It's been very enjoyable. I almost feel ashamed to keep such a place a secret."

The Dark End Queen grinned, "You say that because you've seen my kingdom at its brightest and darkest." Her grin turn into a coy smirk that made the foreign king guiltily look away. The Light End King held a joyful, yet also suspiciously coy smile. The queen's next words was hitting a nail that had words that was too advanced for the children to understand, "But the usual days are delightfully dull with a few surprises here and there. Either way, I've _really_ enjoyed our time together."

"It's definitely a week to never forget! I'm surprised you could take so much!" The Light End King full heartily agreed.

Yubel and Judai could see their king looking nervous and even perspiring a bit. They looked at each other, and then shrugged.

Their attentions were then grabbed by the curtains opening, and revealing several dancers in different costumes. Jun was not among them since she was the last act, so the audience enjoyed the lively and colorful dance performances for the next few hours until everyone knew that they reached to a point that all fun had to come to an end and end with a satisfying note.

The curtains closed for a few minutes, and then they reopened to reveal Jun lying on the floor on her side facing the audience. She looked like she was sleeping, but then the music rose ever so gently to wake her from her peaceful slumber.

 _Song: Hello - Lionel Richie covered by Glee  
_

Jun got on her feet effortlessly, and stood on her toes. The stance was bizarre but refreshing for the eyes that were not familiar with difference dance techniques. Under the spotlight, Jun was wearing a very simple blue lyrical dress with no special makeup or hairstyle. A drastic change from what she was wearing earlier, but one simple step transformed that simple blue lyrical dress into an instrument of art painting the story she wished to convey, and thus moving the atmosphere.

Everyone within the theater and those watching by the eye wear were completely engrossed by her performers for whatever reason they were. Daichi appreciated her form. Her parents appreciated her passion. The foreign king was caught like many others including Yubel by her overall performance that tugged at their emotions; inspiration and wonder being bought forth to the front of their minds.

For Judai, it was something else completely different. He was...

...remembering a spark of light. The way she moved across the darkness with so much energy and wonder that they practically spoke words to him. He could read them like a book, and it filled him with a feeling that took away the word loneliness from reality.

He stood up from his seat with golden glowing eyes. Jun felt his stare and looked to him with eyes that shone silver.

Her performance slowly came to a stop as the music died down. She gave a delicate curtsy before the curtains drew to a close.

Afterwards, everyone partied to their hearts content for the last night. All citizens including the kings and queen were having fun at either rings of the nation.

Everyone except for Jun who stood at the ball room of her castle.

Judai also entered the ball room.

The seven-year-olds faced each other with evinced nervous and awkward feelings.

Judai started, "So...what happened back at the theater...that was _really_ weird!"

Jun snorted with her arms crossed. "So you also have no idea what happened. Figures. I guess it has to do with the fact that I am part dark-type. Maybe your Supreme King powers saw how amazing I was that he couldn't help wanting to see me for himself!" The girl gloated!

Judai fully agreed, "That makes total sense! You really are amazing, Jun. I'm jealous that Daichi gets to marry you."

Jun blushed, and found herself stuttering angrily, "Wh-wha-wha-what are you saying, i-idiot! You shouldn't say things like that! It'll give someone the wrong idea!"

"But I'm really jealous! You're the most amazing girl who I ever met."

"You're just saying that because you're leaving tomorrow!" Jun hated how she was reacting to his compliments. No boy had ever got her this flustered so many times! It made her really upset, but she felt really happy to be this mad! She was really confused!

"Maybe..." Judai seemed to also be a bit confused, but had a better crutch on the situation. "But I know that I really wanna dance with you. Can I?"

"Can you even dance?" Jun was used to being asked this, but the people who asked were actually dancers.

But that wasn't a no, and that made the boy grin happily. "Not sure, but it doesn't hurt to try!"

Jun cannot believe the gall of this boy, but...she loved being better than him at something, and she had to teach him since she was highly qualified! "Fine! But step on my feet, and I'm throwing you out the window!"

"Don't worry! I got this!" The prince promised with a competitive glint in his eyes.

Jun decided to stick with the simple slow waltz as a start.

And so for the rest of the night, the two danced and talked until the sun rose. They separated to finally get some needed sleep.

._._._.

The next morning, the two kids stood at the throne room. Yubel and the foreign king were ready to leave, but Judai wanted to say goodbye a little longer.

Jun tried not to look happy about it. "Idiot, don't hold up your family! You have a country to look over! Who knows if someone in your father's circle is already planning to take over him!"

"Then we'd just have to beat them!" Judai answered as if it was the easiest answer in the world, which got him a slap.

"It's nice that you're so confident, but don't give people grief because of your stupidity!" She scolded him.

"Alright. Alright. I promise that I'll definitely come back after I become king!"

"Don't you dare!"

"What?!"

"Unless its simply a visit. If you come here wanting to unite my kingdom with others under your rule, I swear that I will personally deal with you by myself once and for all! Do I make myself clear?!" She threatened!

Judai understood and promised, "I will definitely come just to visit, but if your kingdom is facing any trouble, then I'll definitely come help you! With or without an army!"

"Dumbo. You practically are an army once you become the Supreme King." Jun pointed out, but with not an impressed expression. "Now that we got that covered. Leave. I can't wait to finally have some peace and quiet with Daichi."

"I hope you two are happily married when I next visit, eve-" Judai stopped when he remembered what Pegasus told him. He was warned that marrying Jun could cause chaos, and he felt that even joking about it was a bad sign. "Also tell Daichi that I look forward to seeing him again! It was fun hanging with you two. I wish I could continue talking with you Jun, but I was told that sending letters was a bad thing since your kingdom is hated by everyone else in the world. I hope that changes in the future."

"Better not bother hoping for that. Even if you do become the Supreme King and try to change that, not everyone will feel the same. You can't force that. The world outside will always be dangerous, so our mountains won't ever fall."

The Dark End Queen stepped in. "My little Jun speaks the truth, the future king, but there is one hopeful wish that we can fix." She took out the winged Kuriboh out of nowhere. The little thing looked frightened from being in the woman's clutches.

Jun was equally horrified. Her father laughed at her expression.

The queen happily embarrassed her daughter. "Isn't he precious? Jun created this creature that she calls a Kuriboh, and he's a weak but very tough and humble creature. He can act as your secret messenger. You two can write each others letters, but after he takes a trip, you have to keep him around for a week to rest before sending him out again. Doesn't that sound like a marvelous plan?!"

"TOTALLY!" Judai was already on board! He greeted the duel monster. "Hey little guy! I like your fur! It's shape looks familiar!"

Jun was completely red, and her heart jumped at the thought of Judai putting the pieces together in front of her! "GREAT! GOOD! YOU GOT YOUR MESSENGER! MAKE SURE YOU KEEP HIM HEALTHY AND SEND ME A LETTER! BYE NOW!" She pushed him out the door and slammed it behind her.

Judai was confused by her attitude, but she was always weird. He shouted, "Okay! I'll definitely write you a letter a week after I get back! I promise Jun!"

Jun couldn't stand on her feet. She sat on the ground with a contorted expression. Her feelings were all over the place!

The her own mother just had to ask, "So...When did you two drop the titles?"

Jun angrily whispered, "Shut up."

Laughter erupted!

._._._.

After the festival and Judai leaving with his family, everything died down to a normal day with minimal troubles. Jun refused to admit that she missed the prince. She even refused that the Kuribohs that now lived in the kingdom were inspired by him, and she would hug almost all of them when she had the free time and felt wistful feelings.

She refused to admit that she was waiting for a letter from the boy, and claimed that the only boy she needed was Daichi. The genius would simply smile coyly at this.

She refused to admit that she was excited and relieved when a letter came over a month later, and she treasured the letter to the point of framing it to keep it safe and a reminder. She would also not admit to spend night after night of the first week that the winged Kuriboh had to rest to write the perfect letter back.

She refused to admit that she enjoyed doing it when a year went by.

 _Song: I want Crazy - Hunter Hayes  
_

Judai was secretly verbal about it to his adopted father and Yubel. He wanted to write about how much he already missed Jun after he finally got back home, but Yubel advised him to wait at least after a month. The boy only lasted for a week and a half.

He wrote to Jun about how much he missed her, how he was doing, and how he began to get into attending the dances at the balls of his kingdom, and her teachings really helped him get started. But none of the dancers were as amazing as her.

He would get back a letter of how much of a idiot he was and get a scolding for his word choices. It would go on for paragraphs, but at the very end she would tell him how she was doing with everyone, and in a very quick subtle way admit that she missed him to.

Judai made sure to keep the letter safe in a chest that he only had the key to. He would read it and the other letters that was stashed with it when he had the free time and couldn't stop thinking about Jun. Even when a year passed, his feelings still felt strong.

The letter exchanges went on for almost seven years. Thousands of letter were written and they were sent faster when not only winged Kuriboh was used. The kuribohs didn't mind since the trip was challenging, and they loved being the connection between the two royalties.

Judai was almost turning fourteen, and his kingdom had been built just like how the Dark End Queen planned it to be. He was soon to become the Supreme King and find a way to unlock the potential.

The frightened prince wrote about his concerns to Jun who wrote back to him that he shouldn't since his heart would override the terrible side of the darkness. She may have only witnessed him growing up through his letters, but his letters always held and hid the truth in plain sight for her to discover. She was proud by how his handwriting, word choices, and grammar had improved that very little mistakes could be found.

She then teased at the end of the letter that she would marry a man who could write such beautiful letters to her that only get better each time.

Judai read this, and he wrote back just one sentence, 'Let's get married.'

Jun was surprised to get a letter so soon, and was taken off guard by the proposal. She compulsively wrote back, 'The Supreme King must be already taking over your mind because you're crazy.'

That wasn't a no by how the king ready it, and he wrote back just as he was ready to get on his horse to make the ride alone. 'Yup! And I know I'm set up to have like a hundred wives, and you have Daichi, but you're the only one who'll secretly count, and I'm going to be the one who counts for you or rule an entire nation trying! I love you, Jun.'

Before he did ride off, he left a letter stating a lie that he had a mystical Supreme King trial to go through alone and won't be back for at least half a year!

Jun waited at her castle for the Kuriboh to come back with the response letter to her short one. Her heart was beating with anticipation because since she grew up with Judai's letters, she could always tell what the fourteen-year-old was bound to write sometimes.

She knew she was engaged to Daichi, but a secret wedding wouldn't hurt to have. Her future husband, tutor, Ryo, and her parents did root for them.

"Love of Dawn, you are biting your bottom lip." Her father pointed out. The three of them were sitting at the throne room where they were going through several problems to work through for their citizens.

Her mother teased, "She's waiting for Judai to confess his love."

"Mom! We're not in love! Two people falling in love with only letters and kuribohs as their form of contact is outrageous!"

"She's using polite speech. It must be serious." Her father joined in on the teasing.

Jun cursed because she knew she had that habit of turning too polite in front of her parents when she tried to hide her deeper feelings. "I-" She stopped when she felt an ominous presence. Her golden eyes turning silver and shining brighter than the room. She gasped when she felt that presence get closer as if it was right above her.

She wasn't wrong when something crashed through the roof and landed in front of them. A strange creature with a triangular lizard-like head with golden chameleon eyes stared at them. It's body looked as if it was shifting within a black smoke.

Her mother immediately got in front of her. "You're not a normal dark-type creature. What are you?"

The creature stayed silent for a minute before speaking with a child's voice, "I'm sorry. It took me a while before I could form the correct organs to speak. I want the speck of light to hear me in this very air that she created by her death."

"You will leave my daughter alone!" Her father cried out angrily.

"Speck of light?" Jun was confused.

"Jun. Go to Pegasus." Her mother ordered.

"But-"

"Now!" Her parents took on their dragon forms.

Jun had never seen them do this before in front of an opponent, so understood that it would be best if she followed orders. She ran off with Belo to get to Pegasus.

The dark creature spoke when she was out of sight, "So you're aware that you've given birth to the creator of this world filled with hatred and pain, and yet you still love her."

"She gave this world free will. We are the only ones responsible for our actions." Her mother told it. "You are not one of her creations, but neither are you a piece of the gentle darkness."

Her father said, "Our people with extraordinary yet limited gifts have been aware of the dangers out there, and we are fully aware that you're just as dangerous as the light of destruction."

"I supposed this is the moment that I give myself a 'name'. Then how about this one. Since the darkness that embraces you is referred to as 'gentle', then mine will be unkind. The legends that will never be spoken shall hold my name _**'The Harsh Darkness'**_. I would go with 'callous' or 'unfriendly', but harsh sounds a lot like 'hush', and that's exactly how I like my victims. Hushed."

Jun reached Pegasus who was explained the situation by Belo. The inventor quickly escorted the girl to a pod where she was put in.

"Wait! I can't be in here! What about my parents!" She cried out.

"I'm sorry, princess, but your safety is a number one priority right now! This pod will put you to sleep."

"What?! No! I won't let you!" She automatically changed into her dragon form for the first time. The pod was strong enough to hold her, but that was killing her. Her lack of space to breathe caused her survival instincts to kick in and activate a power inside her that she only felt once in her lifetime.

That night with Judai watching her dance made her heart feel a strong, painless light in her chest. Now she could feel it engulf her, and every thing turned white.

"Mom...Dad..." She reached out to them. She saw a vision of them fighting the darkness in the sky above their kingdom.

"He is called the Harsh Darkness." A voice told her. It sounded light like a woman's, but deep like a man's own.

"Harsh? NO!" Jun just witnessed her parents being killed by a dark fire. "No! I-"

"It's alright. They're souls will go to the stars. The Harsh Darkness doesn't have any jurisdiction in this world you created and gave free will to. I don't know if the free will gift was one of your greatest or stupidest idea. But then again, a fleshed out idea didn't start until you were created."

"Me? I am...the speck of light...and my parents died because of that."

"Oh, don't be over dramatic. That darkness was killing your creations as much as I was trying to make them destroy each other. Except unlike me who can absorb their energy, he can only kill them like a simple buffoon. But don't worry about that either. I only absorb the energy from the natural scums within this creation of yours. It's my way to show appreciation for creating this fun playground for me. Anyway, do you know who I am?"

"You are the Light of Destruction...My parent."

"Yes. And it looks like your great knight Ryo is going to face the dark creature now."

"No. She can't. I won't let her." Her vision disappeared into white.

"Ooh, you just used your powers. You're pretty powerful, but the weakest among us. It's really too bad for you that I;m stronger since I will block your memories of this conversation."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because this darkness loves to keep its existence hush hush among everyone except for me. But do not worry. I'll distract him so you may live your life a little longer. I have plans for you."

"Plans?"

Jun couldn't get an answer before she found herself sitting among the rubble of her kingdom. Her heart expanded and flattened within her chest, which made it hard for her to breathe. She tried to remember what happened, but all she could remember was a dark creature came and she was put into a pod by Pegasus so she would survive.

"JUN!" She heard a woman cry out to her. She tried to turn to the voice but something grabbed hold to the base of her wings.

 ** _RIIIIIIP_**

Jun entered into shock before she could register the clumsy laceration on her back. Seconds later, she felt it. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Dammit, Dark! You bastard! That wasn't my plan!"

"Oh please, Light. You love this destruction."

"Not on her! Anyone but her! She's my love! She's my heart!"

"And I gave her freedom to walk this dimension of hatred now that her kingdom is gone. She's no longer a duel monster. She's no longer a princess. She's only a worthless girl breathing, but...there's hope."

Jun heard a clash between skins, and felt the blood splatter hit her face, and then there was the sound of...loud kissing.

Then the woman spoke, "I guess I do like seeing her like this. Someone who's at their lowest has nothing to lose, and it'll be interesting to see what she will do. So darling." The woman spoke to her. "Right now, the gentle darkness is coming here, and he might find you. How sweet of you two to fall in love again in this life time. I don't care if you two do continue being lovers, but I love to see what you'll do when I lay down your situation."

Jun was helpless when the woman caressed her back, but the pain seem to disappear and blood stop pouring down her back.

The woman told her with a nonchalant tone that mocked the situation, "You can have the prince find you and reveal who you are. Then he'll see that you survived a catastrophic event, but at the same time failed to protect the people you love: Ryo. Cronos. Pegasus. Daichi. Your parents. They're all dead while you survived because your parents put you in a pod only meant for you. You survived because of them because they knew you were weak. Now you're alive only because of me. You're lucky it was your wings that was pulled off, or you may have had it harder."

She got to the next point, "Or you could walk away from this place, and become someone else, so you don't have to look at your true love's face when he sees your failures."

"He wouldn't care." Jun spoke with an emotionless voice. "He's that kind of guy. He would overlook my faults in this situation, and think 'she needs me. I have to be there for her. Nothing else matters.'" She now felt her internal pain. Her head burned with a heat that pierced her. Her face was flooded that it contorted to squeeze the acidic liquid emotions out of her. Her heart was trying to claw out of her since her arms and legs wouldn't move to get her away from all this. "But I can't give him this burden. I don't deserve him when I can't protect the people I love!" She then found the strength to get on her knees and then her feet.

Slowly she walked until she felt her legs burn in pain to wake, and let her run. She ran away to the opposite direction of the gates, so she wouldn't accidentally run into Judai's castle.

She ran.

Kuriboh arrived at the rubble, and immediately flew back to the castle to report to Yubel of what happened at the place. She read the letter that Kuriboh was supposed to send, and realized where her prince really went off to.

She quickly tried to reach him with some of her men.

However, Judai arrived at the rubble, and the first thing he thought about was that Jun or someone with information on her could still be in there! He ran into the rubble and used the heroes in his deck to help him find her. They spent the whole day searching for her, and Judai wasn't ready to give in despite what his heroes said.

He won't believe it! He didn't want to believe it! Because that meant that the warning that Pegasus gave was true, and he just doomed Jun because he didn't heed it!

Jun was dead because of him.

He kept searching until Yubel finally came and held him as he finally shed his tears and screamed his pain.

Jun also stopped running and wailed out alone.

 _Song: Don't go - Exo-K  
_

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _._._._._

A/N: Wow! That was long! And I think the last song pretty much sums it all up.

So yeah. There was Cronos being Jun's tutor, and is a very strict but supportive one. Pegasus is happily married to Cecilia, and made dueling safer for their dimension, and has his future telling gifts, which may or may not have made things worse by telling Judai about what would happen if he confessed his love. THE FUTURE MUST REMAIN A SECRET! The Light of Destruction and The Harsh Darkness have a weird relationship, and the Light has a weird love for Jun.

The Light is a woman in human form, and her love for Jun is...complicated. It's like that psychotic parent who does love their child, but the way they show it is not good. In Kiss the Crossdresser, the Light was furious about Jun feeling pain and wants vengeance for that. The reason it contrast from that scene at Chapter 32...comes later.

I'm encouraged to go on by REVIEWS! *wink* *wink* *nudges your hands to the keyboard.*

But you don't have to if you don't want to.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So there will be Critias/Hermos (Puppyshipping) and casual sex partners Timaeus/Jun. Timaeus (Yugi's incarnation) and Jun are just close friends with benefits. No romantic feelings whatsoever.

And Judai's kingdom works similar to a constitutional monarchy with Edo as the prime minister.

._._._.

 _Song: Keep Breathing - Ingrid Michaelson  
_

Jun sat within a hollow tree. It was nighttime, and everything was so silent. No a single stir of leaves by the wind, the sound of an insect's wings buzzing through the air, or a single creature prowling in the night. She believed it was most likely because it was nature reminding her that she was an omen.

After the swift destruction of her kingdom, she had been running for days through the woods without any idea of where she was going or how she was going to survive. She had lived as a princess in the safety of her mountains without any plans to ever step outside, so she had never seen the outside world.

She was tremendously irritated under her grief that her first time had to happen after the annihilation of her kingdom by some dark force that must be as strong as the gentle darkness.

She feared for Judai because that meant that he was up against not only the Light of Destruction but a darkness that wasn't a part of him. She also learned recently that she was the speck of light who created this world. She had witnessed its beauty and hardships that could be fixed with teamwork, and now she had to face its ugliness with no one to turn to.

She had found a lake where she finally quenched her thirst, and then heard her stomach growl for food. She looked down at the water to think, but she was distracted by her reflected appearance. Her skin was no longer half white or black. Instead her skin was dark brown with lightning shaped strikes of pale white complexion across her skin. Her eyes were no longer golden, but grey. She touched her back to feel her wings, but then she saw the flashbacks of her wings being ripped away from her by the evil darkness.

She snapped her hand away from it, and her mind reeled quickly for peace. She found her distraction when she felt her stomach's strong hunger cramps.

She used her knowledge of fishing from her recently deceased fishermen to create a makeshift net and spear from the materials that she could find in the forest. When she caught a few, she knew how to fry them by the fire because Daichi liked his fish fried that way. Jun had watched how the chef did it, and by memory, she used what tools she could find or make to replicate the moment.

She knew how to create a fire by using sticks with or without stones. She had spent time with the child scouts who were taught on how to survive in the woods, but the difference was that they had the materials they needed beforehand. She was empty handed.

After she ate her fill, she looked for a shelter that wasn't already taken or infested with dangerous insects. She found an empty hollow tree, and she knew how to make it a home when she remembered visiting one of her citizens who lived in them, and used natural resources to make it warm and comfortable.

She did the best she could, and after she was done, she got comfortable on her makeshift bed. She wanted to sleep, but her heart urged her to weep because as much as she didn't want to feel the pain of losing her kingdom, she couldn't survive without the memories.

The days went on the same. She lived just to survive like a common animal, but some days she wouldn't move, and hated herself for it. If she worked, she felt nothing. When she didn't like she would every night, she felt so much hatred for that. She knew sleep was important, but her emotions reeled her to believe that working more and sleeping never was the way. But her logic argued that she needed the sleep or else she will fall asleep later and waste the day. Both shouting that she was a waste of time.

Soon enough, she had been attacked by bandits who wanted to make a pretty penny out of her, but due to her combat training, she was able to take them off one by one physically. Not everyone in the dimension was a duelist, and preferred to decide fate by fists, which was better for her since she didn't have any cards. They were destroyed, too.

To make sure that the bandits didn't give her grief again, she killed them, took their supplies, and then had the duel monsters they were riding to drag their bodies away so beasts wouldn't be attracted to her. She felt nothing about it at first, but then when she had to go to sleep, she drew to the conclusion that she became something disgusting. Something that her citizens and parents would hate her for.

Then she thought of her stupid decision to run. If she had stayed, she could've warned Judai about the darkness and the light's team up, and the both of them together could do something about it. She had let her emotions take over her decision, and she felt so much hatred for herself, and guilt taking hold of her back and bouncing on her like a joyride.

The days were too short, the nights were too long, she was serving no purpose no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was.

She asked herself of why she wasn't doing the right thing. Why she wasn't already looking for Judai, and doing what she should do before she stupidly decided to run away.

But then the Light and Darkness are watching her. What if they were waiting for her to do that so they could kill them together. Or worse, destroy everything and hurt Judai because of her. Her kingdom was destroyed because of her.

Should she leave? Should she stay? Did she matter anymore?

At some point when she couldn't stand being unable to make a choice, she came to the conclusion that life would just be easier if she was dead.

Her body agreed that it would stop the stress. Her brain agreed that it would help lift up her sins and her needless worry for Judai was nothing. He will already have hundreds of wives, and he had Yubel. She was nothing more than a pen pal written to out of amusement.

No one would miss her in this world, and her death could be an act of sacrifice for forgiveness.

Coming to that conclusion, she held the knife that she took from one of the bandits she killed.

Her heart ached for another conclusion, but her brain and body overpowered it.

She slashed from her collarbone to her heart, and then went straight across her chest to the opposite side. She lied on her makeshift bed, and waited for herself to bleed out. She felt the pain, but it compared nothing to the aching emotions that were bound to disappear.

She didn't want to live anymore.

As she slowly faded from the world, she felt drops of her on her face.

"Oh Jun." She heard her mother speak with a light, loving voice that held no mischief. "I wish we taught you to fear death, so you wouldn't have done this to yourself."

Her father spoke. "You cried when our soldiers died protecting our kingdom, but you also stood strong for your people, and you were only five. You bowed for their loved ones at their funeral, and filled their hearts with relief that they died for you."

Her mother told her, "Your actions to run is not an act of weakness. It was natural. None of your people will look down on you for this. Like you told them before you lost in a blaze of glory, 'In this competition, everyone poured out their hearts and minds; the very essence of who they are, and put it in this battle! Maybe to win, but most of all to prove that they have a fighting spirit within themselves! And it may not win this battle, but it's not out of the war!' Right now your competition is against grief, depression, hardships, loneliness, confusion, and so many other enemies that we all battle against. The toughest battle that any creation has to battle against, and you can rise above it."

"You will rise above it." Her father's voice urged her spirit. "You may not have the kingdom, but you still have its spirit. You survived to this point by the knowledge, love, and will of the people."

Daichi's voice joined in, "You are our legacy."

Ryo joined in, "You are our force of nature."

Cronos reminded, "Of course, you cannot reveal who you are because this world will rip you apart. Na no ne."

Cecilia said, "But you don't have to go out in the world with all of who you are at once. Just what counts."

Pegasus concluded, "This world still needs fixing, and you are the right one for the job."

Then her mother ordered her, "So rise Jun."

"Rise against this lowest point, and change the world a little at a time! Every act you make no matter how small will count!" Her father cheered.

"Rise Princess Jun!" She heard children cry out.

"Rise Princess Jun!" She heard women cry out.

"Rise Princess Jun!" She heard men cry out.

"RISE! RISE PRINCESS JUN!"

Jun gasped for air, and felt the crashing physical pain from her mistake.

 _Song: Fight Song - Rachel Platten_

She rose from the ground and stopped the bleeding of her chest. She replenished her energy and let her wounds heal before she smartly travels out of the woods, and started her life all over again with the spirit of her people.

She thought about seeing Judai, but with the fear of the light and darkness may do something, she decided that it was best to pretend to be dead, but she needed to warn Judai.

Now that she knew who she was, she tried to tap into her power as the speck of light. It wasn't difficult since she only had to think of her kingdom to push her power out of her, but to control it was a different matter. She didn't know how strong she truly was, and what she could do. Maybe she had the power to bring her kingdom back, but knowing fate and that she may have no control over it, how strong would the consequences be?

Was it better that her kingdom was gone now that she knew what was out there? The darkness destroyed her kingdom, and if it were to come back, he would just do it all over again, and the Light was stronger than her. Even with Judai's help, she didn't believe they were strong enough.

She decided that maybe she will bring it back again when she does become stronger, and the Light of Destruction and the evil darkness is out of the way.

Right now, she knew that she needed to warn Judai without the Light or Darkness catching her. She wondered if she could block herself from their sight since this was her world. Despite how strong they may be, this world should be on her side to do something to that extent at least.

Once she did figure that out, she also needed to get stronger for Judai and this world no matter what it took.

._._._.

 _Six years later_

A group of knights were walking to a large, spacious bar.

Within the bar already held a ton of soldiers who were celebrating after a battle victory against another dimension who were against having the Supreme King take charge. Although, the citizens of the dimension was rebelling, the leader didn't challenge the King to a duel since the outcomes were predictable. The Supreme King didn't want to barge in since he didn't want to take over like a dictator.

Plus, what good were having soldiers if they aren't put into a fight. Of course, only the soldiers who wanted to get on the battlefield went.

The knights began talking about is as they walked.

"Man, no matter how you look at it, it's obvious that we're winning the war. And here, I thought it'd drag around just to keep us busy!"

"Not surprising considering who our generals are. Who's your general?"

"General? Why, of course it's General Timaeus! No matter how you look at it, he's obvious the strongest of the four. He leads his army with an unwavering confidence and genius tactical and strategic mind!"

"HA! If we're talking about strength, we know that spot belongs to General Hermos! He's the one in charge of the front lines and he charges in like a mad dog, but he's always looking out for his men, and knows how to raise their spirits up!"

"But he lacks brains which is why he is put in the front line, unlike General Critias who is obviously the smartest of the four. The other three generals always look for him for a plan. Timaeus is pretty smart, but even he seeks advice from Critias! He's definitely the best!"

A chuckle jingled through the conversation. The voice spoke, "If we're talking about who is the best, then you need to decide what makes the best general. Is it his brains? His courage? His looks? All four generals work well together because they make up for what the other lacks. It's true that General Hermos own mind is nothing compared to General Critias and Timaeus, but he has the strongest body and toughest will out of all of them. It doesn't hurt to also say that he's the most handsome as well. He's put in the front lines because his body can endure the damage and he doesn't hesitate to put his life before his men. Even at the face of death or defeat, Hermos will not quiver."

"That's true." The knights agreed.

The knight continued, "Although I said that the generals work well together, on battle they do, but socializing? Hermos and Critias has the habit of butting heads due to their different personalities and sexual tension."

"Sexual tension?"

The knight didn't explain. Just continued, "General Timaeus is the one who can keep the generals and his soldiers in line. He may not be as tough as General Hermos or as smart as General Critias, but he is what a leader is, and he can bring people together to fight for a similar cause, and makes sure that their goal is reached without a soldier left behind. That is why he is called the Eye of the generals. General Critias with his harsh but logical way of doing things and infamous tongue lashings is the reason he is the Fang of the generals. And General Hermos with his deadly strike on the opponent is the Claw."

"Aa! That makes a lot of sense. But wait. What about the fourth general? I heard about how Hermos takes the front lines while Timaeus and Critias comes in with the surprise attacks and reinforcements, but I remember that the fourth one always takes the skies. A man with the loudest voice that would make the armies believe that a storm was coming."

"I remember! But I don't really know that much about him. I heard from some of his soldiers that he's really loud but passionate."

"I heard the same thing, and nothing else. Though his soldiers likes to brag and cheer for him as if he's the king, all I really hear is that he's awesome and nothing else. Sounds like a pretentious guy if you ask me."

"But you do remember the airstrike he bought down don't you! They just came down at the right moment, and even if we were in battle, they only landed on the enemy!"

"Yeah, so he's good at targeting, but we're talking about his character since that's the way this conversation swung. He may be good at the battlefield, but what makes him so great that he became one of the four knights. General Hermos is the toughest, General Critias is the smartest, and General Timaeus is the glue that keeps this army together. What is he good at other than air strikes or being loud? Any of our generals could pull that off."

The knight who spoke earlier suggested, "How about we ask them?"

They were already at the bar's doors.

"Good idea!" The knights went in first and went up to the three knights who were sitting together at a table at a corner of the room. "Excuse me generals, if you don't mind we have a question."

"Ask away!" Hermos told them. His cheeks already flushed by the alcohol in his veins.

"We've been talking about what makes you great generals. General Hermos is the toughest, General Critias is the smartest, and General Timaeus is the glue that keeps this army together. We are unable to think what's the best quality of the fourth general since we don't really know him."

The three generals looked at each other as if they were coming down to a decision mentally. Then they suddenly smirked as if they came up with a funny conclusion.

"What's great about the fourth general, you say." The knights could've sworn that they heard Critias laughing a none frightening low laugh for the first time as his shoulder quaked.

Hermos and Timaeus were laughing as if an inside joke was made.

The colorful haired general said, "I understand why you would ask such a question since you most likely haven't met the fourth general due to the fact that her army has to be at the highest point or far behind us in order to pull her attack."

"If I'm the toughest, then she's the second toughest!"

"She's far smarter than you, though." Critias pointed out.

"What was that, blondie?!" Hermos growled at him.

"Down pup." He demanded.

"I'm not a fox or a pup, you spoiled aristocrat!" The brunette yelled. He was always called a fox or a pup by the purple-eyed genius because of his golden eyes and he would be as playful and sly as a fox.

"Calm down you two." Timaeus ordered gently. "Back to the question at hand, I supposed you could say she is a mixture of us all. If the war wasn't against a dimension that needed four generals, then she would be the perfect person to take up the role as thee general. She can be as tough as Hermos. Perhaps not at the genius level of Critias, but she is a quick learner and possesses a wisdom that makes the best decisions that Critias and I also learn from her. She also holds a passion and courage that would glue a kingdom together. I guess if you are looking for a simpler way to describe her then the best way to say it is that she is the General with the most potential.

"As I am the Eye, Critias is the Fang, and Hermos is the Claw, she is the Wings of the four generals. Flying up to the sky without letting her feathers melt away by the sunlight." He smirked at the knight who spoke earlier. "Isn't that right, Jun."

The knight removed her helmet to reveal her brown and white complexion and grey starlight eyes. Her raven black hair had grown to her waist in a braid and bangs were still wild like her former mohawk.

She kept her name since no one could tell that she was the princess of the lost kingdom. At the age of sixteen, she joined the knights academy as a female, and proved that she was capable after taking down their best students. She ranked as number three in academics since Critias and Timaeus was formidable, but she ranked as number two in athletics behind Hermos.

Hermos was her first friend since the destruction when the class had them pair up for a project. They soon became quick friends with Timaeus and Critias after their first battle simulation together. They've been inseparable since, but none of them knew of Jun's tragic past.

Now, she gave Timaeus a slightly disappointed smile. "General with the most potential? Really Timay? You should've just gone with the prettiest general, if you have no idea whatsoever of where I stand in." She sat down next to Hermos who immediately put his arms behind her shoulders to pull her into a hug.

"But you're more than just pretty, Jun." The blue-eyed general told her sincerely.

Though she playfully pointed out, "If that was true, then you would've thought of something better." She was handed a mug of beer, and she chugged it down with ease. Hermos cheered for her.

"Wait," One off the knights realized something. "You used the pronoun 'she'."

Critias gave a huff of a laugh. "Of course. Jun is a woman."

"WHAT?!"

Then memories donned on them.

"Wait! I remember! The crazy girl with the big mouth that even scared the one in charge of the academy, but that what made her a knight of thunder!"

"The girl who's a lady in the class, but a slob in her room!"

"The girl who has the habit of sitting at cliffs and looking over the horizon which made her look like a mysterious beauty!"

"But she's also the girl who was said to have the flattest chest in history that the health inspector put her down as a male by mistake in the records!"

"IS THAT MY LEGACY AT KNIGHT ACADEMY?!" Jun yelled and all the knights were immediately frightened.

Her friends laughed, making her peeved.

"With how you area mixture of bad and good, it's no wonder I can't decide what you are!" Timaeus laughed harder.

Hermos giggled. "Might as well call you the Weirdest General."

"And you can be the General with the Ass that everyone wants to nail." She bit back. "Might as well call you the Tail since everyone wants to get a hold of it." She looked over to the blonde of the group who was only smirking at the situation. "What about you, Critias? Got something smart to say?"

The smartest general proudly answered, "Unlike these buffoons, what you should be called is obvious. It's true that you are the Wings, but not because you have potential. Any idiot is filled with potential. Hermos is still fulfilling his. There's hope that his intelligence still has the potential to surpass a goblin's."

"Watch iiiit!" The mentioned male pointed a threatening finger. He wasn't going to attack since this was a night of celebration.

Critias ignored him. "Jun, you are the wings because you are the General of Duality. You don't fear taking the skies, and no one can tell if you have the wings of a devil or an angel. All they know is that when you do take to the skies, you instill both hope and fear; life and death; weakness and strength. Something none of us can pull off all at once."

Timaeus agreed, "I couldn't have put it any better, Critias."

"Of course not. You may have graduated as the best knight in the academy with me following close behind, but if anyone knows Jun better, it's me." He smiled at Jun who lightly blushed with a grateful expression.

That made the knights wonder the true relationship between the two. They believed that they could be lovers, but they were far from the truth.

Hermos snorted. "I could've said the same thing!"

"Yes, you could've, but you didn't know the word duality, did you." Critias shot him down with his words like the Fang he was, and Hermos was already about to show why he was called the Claw.

But Jun announced, "Enough about how great I am!" She got up and planted her foot on the table. "Today is a day of celebration for another victory! A victory that's bound to go down in history and gain the approval of the Supreme King!"

"It has, and even more, my four generals." Critias' second-in-command, Isono, came into the bar. "I have been trusted with delivering a letter written from the Supreme King himself. He'd like to meet the four of you so he is inviting you to his latest ball with you four as the guests of honor. It seems that our latest battle had the other dimension give in, thus making us the winners of the war."

The knights were shocked, and then were immediately roaring out their battle victory cry. The four generals who were given the invitation fell silent. Especially Jun who fainted.

"JUN!"

._._._.

 _Song: Stars - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals_

Back at the kingdom of the Supreme King, the twenty-year-old grown man stood at his castle's balcony to stare up at the clear, starry sky with a half moon. He wore nothing but his pants. His body had became toned like a warrior's.

His golden eyes glowed ominously and scowl was firm. It was painful for him to look up at the sky no matter how many times he did. He looked away when his pain became too unbearable, and his face softened to his plain brown eyes and tired frown.

He took out a note from his pocket. It was too dark to read, but he didn't need to read it. He had read it so many times that the very image of the note was practically tattooed to his vision.

This note was found among the rubble of the castle by a poor man who was looking for supplies. Judai gave the man a modest life within his kingdom with all the necessary expenses paid to show his deepest gratitude. That was because the note was the last message that Jun wrote before her demise to warn him about the Light of Destruction taking on an appearance of a human woman with pale skin, grey eyes and blonde hair, and that there was an evil darkness as powerful as the Light.

Judai cherished and hated this letter. It was a reminder that Jun was strong at her final moments, but it held information of who her killer was. He wanted to commit a massacre for every human woman who fit the description. However, Jun urged him in the note to not recklessly kill any woman who looked like this, and that the Light may be able to take on a different appearance. He should at least look out for one with a wicked white aura around her.

A dangerous part of Judai still wanted to commit a genocide of these females, but then grey eyes was a rare gene to have, and those who did have it didn't have blonde hair nor pale skin.

Since he was unable to heal his wounded heart through bloodshed, he concentrated on getting stronger by using the duel disks that Pegasus successfully sold throughout the lands and beyond the water before his demise, too. He dueled everyday, and felt himself succumb to a rage that unlocked his merciless Supreme King powers.

Everyone thought that he would remain the ruthless person he changed into. His people feared and respected him. Yubel stood by his side and accepted him. Experiencing this, he believed that he could and should always feel the rage that gave him his power in order to be a great and powerful king who can face the light and darkness by himself.

However, winged kuriboh would make him look back at the letters that Jun sent him that told him that she loved the boy who wasn't this angry, murderous man, and that he could still be the boy he once was. He didn't want to stop being the person she loved, but knew that he needed to be the Supreme King to be strong enough to avenge her.

He wondered of what she would tell him. Winged Kuriboh told him that she would've wanted him to be happy, not vengeful. As truthful as those words were, he couldn't completely believe them unless he could hear it from her.

He stared at the last note, and spoke to her, not sure if she could hear him or not in the afterlife, "Jun...I have over a hundred wives in this castle, but you're the only one I want to marry. You're the only one who counts, and no one else will." He stood at the balcony for a bit longer to relish in his pure, torturous love for Jun.

"King?" Yubel's voice was heard from the room. Judai immediately put away the note, and stood in attention with his golden eyes and scowl.

"Yes, Yubel?" He questioned.

His best friend and guardian came out to the balcony. "Your letter has been sent, so we can expect the four generals to be here soon."

"Good. Thank you, Yubel."

"Think nothing of it, Judai. Are you well?"

"I am. Just..." He looked up at the half moon. It's soft light stinging his eyes. He didn't want to say another word.

Yubel understood. She was secretly glad that the girl was gone because having a secret affair with such a person would only cause problems. She did hate seeing Judai miserable, but this was better than what would've happened if Jun was still alive.

She reminded her king and best friend, "You should be in bed now. Your sleep is important."

Judai continued to stare at the moon that was half white and black and surrounded by the stars for a bit longer before saying, "I know...Yubel."

"Yes?"

"The fourth general, Jun Manjoume. I read that unlike the other three, he was raised found as an orphan and raised at the Ojama Country, correct?"

Yubel was surprised by the question, and understood why he would be interested. Anyone with the girl's name always peaked his interest. She answered anyway to not be rude, "Yes. We had investigated, and it's true. No wonder that he became a troublesome student at the Academy."

"But he still ranked third when he joined the Academy at the age of sixteen, when boys are expected to enroll at the age of twelve."

"I didn't say that he was an idiot."

Judai smiled. Yubel was surprised because she hadn't seen that mirthful smile in a long time. Nothing could make the boy laugh and smile much unlike before.

"No. This one isn't." His golden eyes softened to a glittering brown.

Yubel didn't like this. She believed that Judai was becoming infatuated with a stranger because his name and some of his antics was just like the lost princess. She needed to control this, so needed to plan, but before she did, she said, "You should go to bed now, my king."

"Right. I'm going. I'm going." He walked back into his room. And then said. "I'd like to meet them before the ball. They are going through the shortest route. Let's meet them halfway."

"Are you sure, Judai? You have your responsibilities."

"That can be handled by Edo. I trust him, and he was always better at politics than me. All I ever truly do is sign the papers when I am not challenged. I really want to meet them, Yubel." Judai's tone almost sounded pleading like a child.

Yubel felt compelled to follow orders. "...Yes, my king."

._._._.

Jun woke up in the middle of the night in her tent. She remembered what happened before she fainted, and knew that this day would come. She only wanted to be a knight, but after meeting her three best friends, she couldn't go out to battle without being by their side as a general.

She also felt that she was needed by her men to overcome the tragedies of the war. Yet, she felt regret for her choices because she wasn't sure if it was safe to meet Judai after so long. There was only one way to know.

She used her powers of light to silently teleport away from her camp site to a cliff nearby. She faced her back to the half moon. It's light revealed a tribal sun mark, and she let it fade away.

"By removing that annoying mark on your back, I take it that you wanted to see me since now that I can see you." A woman with pale skin, blond hair, and silver eyes appeared in front of her as if she just came into existence.

"I need to know if it's safe to meet Judai after all this time. That you and the darkness won't terrorize his city."

The woman giggled. "You know you can't trust me."

"I know that you kept your word to not allow the darkness to take out Ojama country or any of the kingdoms under the Supreme King's rule. I hate that you are hurting others, but there's only so much I can do against you two."

"What can I say. I'm proud of you for becoming as strong as you became. I didn't want to push it because you are angry, but there's a point where anger becomes a weakness. Oh my beautiful daughter. You're almost ripe for the taking for the darkness to take you, but I won't let it."

"Because you won't gain anything if he did, and he can't gain anything from you, which is why you two have this weird relationship."

"I don't think the concept of friendly, murderous, hateful sex friends is all that weird compared to what your creations love to get themselves involved in private."

"Whatever. I will have to meet Judai, and I don't want the war to happen early because of us."

"Ah, so you plan to keep your identity a secret to the end. Isn't that cowardly?" The Light wasn't concerned. Only further intrigued by the choices made.

Jun answered with a steeled expression, "It is, but my love for Judai is no longer romantic nor platonic. It's simply a deed that I need to fulfill."

"Beautiful but cruel words. I do love drama, so I promise to not get involved and keep the darkness busy, but there's one thing you have to do for me first." The light got on her knees and held out her open palms midair. It looked like a submissive position, but the relaxed expression that the Light sported told Jun like it always had before that this position was simply a mockery to her power, but...she saw the genuine admiration in her parent's eyes.

There was never a need for the Light to earn acting skills considering that she preferred mind control, and didn't like having a double face.

The Light always spoke her genuine emotions, and thus she requested, "Dance for me, my beautiful daughter."

This entity may have not destroyed her kingdom, but she was also the entity who ignored the destruction.

"Like I've always said, I won't dance for you. I'll dance for the people who will be spared by your graciousness."

The Light smiled nonetheless. "Good enough."

Jun nodded, and then relaxed. Without the need for music, and without the need for a choreographer, she danced on that cliff with all the grace and freedom she had. It felt like gravity disappeared as she tip toed across the dirt and expressed her gratitude for the Light's mercy.

When her eyes closed, a soft rainbow of light swirled around her like a gymnast's ribbon. Just within the reach of the Light's finger tips, but they slip away with ease from her clutches. Despite the lack of touch, the woman loved this part the most. From the beginning there was only black and white, but her daughter revealed that within the white rays of light were filled with bountiful colors that gave the universe its diverse cosmic definitions.

While the Light was disappointed that her daughter took the form of such a small, weak creature unlike the ones who claimed themselves to be a God, she couldn't resist the truth that her daughter was still magnificent.

Jun's ethereal spirit overwhelmed the darkness when her heart was opened to the world. It wasn't pure but it was harmlessly infectious. Especially when she danced. Oh how she danced. The more she danced, the more the colors formed around her, and reached the sky to become an aurora. It would reach out throughout the sky without disturbing anyone from their light slumber. But it was unfortunate that they didn't wake to watch the ephemeral event.

"Jun!" Timaeus' voice cried out.

The Light disappeared and the tattoo on Jun's back appeared again, so neither the Light nor the harsh Darkness could see her. She stopped her dancing to face the others. The aurora slowly fading away.

"Jun!" Hermos cried out this time. The three generals had appeared with their second-in-commands as backup.

Critias went up to her to scold her. He was not pleased at all that she went off by herself. "You shouldn't have left without warning any of us! You just fainted recently! What if you had a concussion!"

Jun frowned guiltily like a child scolded by her father. She apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous about meeting the king."

"That isn't a good excuse to put your life in danger like this!"

"Chill, Critias." Hermos told him. "Jun can take care of herself. But I'm still pissed that you didn't tell anyone! You made your second-in-command worry!"

Jun's second-in-command was an anthropomorphic crocodile that went by the name Cook. "I did worry a bit, but I knew you were gonna be safe. But I'm afraid when they saw me up n' out, the generals knew somethin' was up, and I couldn't convince them it was nothing. Sorry, General Jun."

"That's alright, Cook. Hermos has sensitive ears. Even if you tiptoed, he'd hear you. And again, I'm sorry for leaving without warning any of you. Let's call it a night, and sleep. How about that?" Jun suggested.

Timaeus approached her. "Are you sure that you are alright, Jun? Is there a reason that you're so nervous to see the Supreme King?"

"What can I say? Every girl has been dreaming about meeting the king, and who knows! I might get to be one of his many wives and live the high life for once!" She winked cutely at them.

Critias huffed. "As if that's ever going to happen. Supreme King or not, doesn't mean he's husband material, and you deserve better."

Jun blushed by the unspoken compliment.

"Yeah!" Hermos full heartedly agreed! "But you should seriously consider getting married. You're already twenty! You ain't gettin' any younger for child bearin'!"

Critias glared at him. "What are you? His mother?"

Hermos glared right back at him. "Right back at ya, bean pole. Who'dya think you are for decidin' who's good for her? Ya ain't her father!"

"Jun needs someone to keep her from making the wrong choices." The tallest general defended.

"Well, Jun needs someone supportin' them n' consider her options." The most muscular general defended.

Jun smiled lovingly at the two. Critias and Hermos did almost fill that empty spot of parenting that she needed. While the two bickered like old married parents, she turned to Timaeus who acted like the wise old grandpa. "I'm really fine, Timaeus. Just cold feet."

The kindest general believed her, and they called it a night.

._._._.

"You just love to leave all the work to me, don't you. Not that I'm complaining. Leaving this stuff to you is scary enough to give me nightmares." Edo somewhat joked as he walked out to the bridge that connected the castle to the city. The Supreme King was to travel by carriage with Yubel, and his best duelist guard, Austin O'Brien. The vehicle was black with a driver and four green sonic ducks ready to go. It was both stylish and fast. Fit for the king.

"Let's hope that I still don't have to when I come back. I will be back within a week hopefully." Judai informed his prime minister.

Winged Kuriboh appeared with concerned eyes. His 'kuris' sounding down.

The king smiled at him. Winged Kuriboh was his best friend and a reminder of Jun's love for him. He cherished him. "I'll be okay, buddy. I'm just going on a short trip. Stay safe."

The kuriboh appreciated the care, but that wasn't what he was worried about, but he didn't think the man would listen to his kuris.

"Are you sure this is a wise choice, my king?" Austin inquired. "I mean no disrespect, and I understand that these generals are the reason that we won the war, but is it necessary to meet them half way instead of waiting?"

"I understand why you'd ask, and I'll give you the same answer that I gave Yubel. I'm curious about who they are, so I can't wait to meet them. They must be strong duelists. Maybe they'll give me a challenge." He stepped into the carriage and took his seat.

"Don't get your hopes up." Yubel warned him. Her and Austin stepped into the carriage. It was spacious enough to fit ten people. The duel monster explained, "It's nothing to get excited about since obviously these four generals must be similar to Austin. Brave, loyal, honorable, and all around decent warrior."

._._._.

"Hahahahahahahaaaaaaa!" Jun laughed and screamed as she removed all her clothes before she jumped off a cliff with her arms spread. She never forgot how it felt to fly, and always saw an opportunity to just jump and pretend to fly like before. The feeling of wind blowing against her face and feel like a surface under her body is soul fulfilling before the moment is over and she plummets into the ocean.

"Wait for me!" Hermos cried out naked and plummeted into the water with her. The two reached the surface and gasped in a deep breath of air before laughing. Then the reddish brunet yelled at the two males with their arms crossed at the cliff, "C'mon ya stick in the muds!"

"As much as I enjoy seeing you naked, Hermos, I rather it be in the bedroom." Critias commented. "Isn't that right, Tima- WHY ARE YOU GETTING NAKED?!"

Timaeus was already half naked. He chuckled, "I thought it was about time we joined in Jun's ritual of skinny dipping whenever an appropriate cliff is present."

The tallest general scowled. "If you think I'm going to strip down naked, and dive in to the water, then you are de-"

"I'LL DO THE THING YOU'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO IN THE BEDROOM, YA GIANT!" Hermos yelled.

 _SPLASH!_

 _SPLASH!_

"WOOOHOOO!" The troublesome two cheered.

All four of them swam in the water, splashed it at each other, and then they entered into a swimming contest. After Hermos won the contest since he was physically superb, they ate their lunch.

Timaeus reminded them, "You do know that we need to keep moving to see the king for the ball." The four of them were traveling alone with their horses and supplies. The rest of their men were ordered to go back home.

"We'll make it in time." Jun told him. "The ball isn't until a month from now, and it will only take us two weeks to make it back to the Supreme King's city right now. If we get their early, then we'll be given the special treatment at his castle until, but!"

Hermos spoke the continuation, "We're going to be under surveillance, and if we did anything wrong, our reputation would be shot! And we all know who'll hate that the most since he's the aristobrat."

Critias smirked at him an evil glint in his eyes. "And you two don't care since you're an Ojama Princess, and you are a dirty fox."

"Dirty good or dirty bad?" Hermos teased which got him a smack to his naked butt. That only made the golden-eyed man tease, "Not now, Critias. We're in front of Jun and Timaeus. They hadn't hit puberty yet." Sand was thrown at him. He ran back into the water to wash it off, but while he did, he looked up at the cliff that they jumped from to see monkeys stealing their clothes. "HEY! HEY! THEY'RE STEALING OUR CLOTHES!"

The others saw what was happening, and began scrambling after the monkeys. They ran into the forest, and saw the monkeys were with their horses that were tied to the trees. They set them free, and slapped their bottoms to get them running off.

"Oh my gawd, these fuckin' lice infested freaks! I'm gonna rip them a new tail!" Jun yelled!

"Not if I get to them first!" Critias threatened!

"Leave some for me! I'll make monkey stew out of them!" Hermos roared!

"Let's just hope our clothes are still usable when we get them back!" Timaeus hoped!

They chased them throughout the forest and Hermos was able to grab one of them by the tail and get pieces of their clothes. The other monkeys realized that they needed to spice things up, so they began throwing something brown and wet at them!

"This better be mud!"

The four of them went through several ridiculous situations from falling into a muddy ditch, getting tangled in webs, falling through trees, going through leech-infested lakes, and almost caught in quick sand! They even chased them across a dirt road, and was nearly ran over by the carriage! Hermos was kicked by one of the green oversized chickens that were pulling it.

"Hermos!" Timaeus cried out.

"He's fine. He's been hit by worse." Critias pointed out, but he still approached his lover to check his wounds with special care. "Are you okay?" He inquired with a soft voice that no one would ever hear spoken to them.

Hermos nodded. "Like you said. I've been hit by worse." He gave a loving smile to show his honesty. His lover smiled back.

Jun yelled at the driver, "Hey you idiot! Don't go dozing off when you're in the middle of the road! Do your damn job!"

"I'm sorry!" The driver cried out in fear.

"I'm okay, Jun." Hermos got up and approached her to show that he didn't have a scratch or bruise on him. He was just that tough.

"What in the world is happening?!" Yubel demanded an answer as she stepped out of the carriage with Austin following behind. The guard ordered Judai to stay in until they checked the situation.

Jun gasped at the sight of Yubel. She immediately knew whose own carriage this was. By how fancy and black it looked, why wouldn't it belong to the Gentle Darkness. She quickly covered the sight of her vagina out of embarrassment like her other three friends. Her chest was flat enough to be mistaken for a man's so she didn't bother covering that.

Yubel glared at the four of them. "What are the four of you doing here and naked?!"

"We've been robbed by bandits." Critias lied. He knew who this duel monster was, and very well knew who was in that carriage. He was not going to humiliate himself further!

But then their horses arrived with their clothes and the monkeys who stole them. They threw their garments at them, and then ran away laughing.

Yubel stared at them, and then looked back at the four of them. "Bandits?" She arched an eyebrow at them in amusement.

Critias's violet eyes chilled the very atmosphere that none of the other three spoke out of fear of his wrath.

Austin noticed the armor. "Are you four warriors of the Supreme King?"

"Yes." Timaeus answered delicately. "We...are warriors of the Supreme King." He hoped that when they arrived at the kingdom in better conditions, they wouldn't be recognized. They were covered by nature, and his spiky hair was down. He could get away with it. But that hope flew out the window when the king stepped out.

"Warriors?" Judai immediately believed that he was before his four generals, and needed to see them. He needed to find which one was Jun.

The lost princess's heart leaped a mile at the sight of him. She thought that she wouldn't feel this rush in her body again, but her entire being urged her to leap into Judai's arms like when they were children. She steeled herself from moving, but she knew that she was pulling off an idiotic love struck expression. She couldn't help it. Not even Critias' disapproving glare could deter her.

"Oh wow. What happened to you four?" He asked.

Austin answered, "They were robbed by monkeys, my king."

"Monkeys?" Judai said dubiously, but the very thought of it was laughable! He couldn't help pulling a mirthful smirk that looked condescending with his golden eyes. When Jun saw that, something as fragile as glass shattered in her mind. Her body no longer felt an urge, but instead a discomfort in her stomach. "What did you do? Steal bananas from them?"

"No, we accidentally killed their king, and we escaped from their clutches like this." Critias deadpanned. King or no king, he would have none of this disrespect!

Timaeus spoke before things got worse. "Let's restart. My king, we are the four generals of your army. We were simply resting during our travels to your kingdom, and did not think that the monkeys in these parts would steal our clothing. As you can see, we went through quite a trip trying to get our clothes and horses back."

Judai believed their story, and realized that that meant that one of them was Jun Manjoume after all. His eyes laid on the lanky male with the braided raven hair. He was lean yet muscular, and his eyes were grey with monolids just like Princess Jun's own. His skin complexion was strangely dark brown and pale, and the shape it formed was covered by the dirt and leaves.

In his heart, he hoped this one was Jun Manjoume. "That's quite a story. How about you guys use the carriage to get to the closest Inn. It'll help you travel their faster. It's no good if we bring you back in your current state. Yubel, Austin and I will use your horses to get there."

"Are you sure?" Hermos was surprised.

"Of course. You four are my generals. Everything will be paid by me, and I won't take no for an answer as your king. Now hurry up. I want to get to know my generals as soon as possible."

The naked soldiers looked at each other with a hesitant, contemplative expression. This was too good to be true, but it's not like they should deny him. They got in the carriage with their clothes since they weren't walking in an Inn naked.

When they reached there, the four of them ordered only for one room with two queen beds. After checking how their room looked like, they went to the bathhouse nearby that was empty. They helped wash each other off.

"Augh! The next time I see any of those monkeys, I'm gonna give it to them!" Hermos promised as he pulled off a leech that stuck to his back. Then he looked over to Jun who was sitting at a bench where she mindlessly lathered her hair with shampoo. "Is somethin' wrong, Jun?"

"I..." She wasn't of what to say, but she needed someone to talk to. "I knew the king when he was a child. He was visiting a village that I was visiting for a while, and we became fast friends." She somewhat lied.

Hermos gawked at her. "What?! No way! Really?! Ya knew de king?!"

"Only for a few days, but he was...idiotically charming. I wanted to meet him again, and now that I did..." She wondered if this was the correct words, "I'm disappointed." It did feel somewhat right.

Timaeus was intrigued. He wondered what the king was like before he took the throne. To hear that he was more cheerful was no surprise since many children were like that. He pointed out for her, "People don't stay the same way they once were like as kids, Jun."

"Some you mean." Critias side glanced at Hermos who was picking his nose.

Jun said, "I know that, but he's changed in a way that I don't like. He's not..."

 _The man I love_

"I guess he's not the man I expected him to be, which is dumb of me because no one ends up who you expect them to be. But the hard part for me is that I've been romantically think of the Supreme King, that I feel disappointed in myself for doing so." Jun hadn't really thought about it romantically since the destruction of her kingdom. She could only worry and hope for Judai's safety after that, but what she said was making a point that she was both disappointed in herself and Judai.

She always thought that seeing Judai again after these last six years, her feelings would be as strong as ever. But when he smirked with those golden eyes, she saw a change in him, and she didn't like it. She can't pinpoint this change, yet, but she knew that she wasn't happy with it. Maybe she was reading too much into their first meeting, and that she should give Judai a chance to properly show who he was. But the other problem is that this was the first meeting, and first impressions counted. Or maybe she was hoping too much out of the first meeting.

She just didn't know if she was in the wrong for expecting something that she wanted out of this, and that she was being silly for holding up a bad thing that she can't even identify. She also wasn't even sure of what she wanted, but she was sure that she didn't want this.

Hermos told her, "I don't see a problem since the guy must be busy, so we won't see him much, so look at the bright side, Jun!" She looked at him for the good news. "He's paying for anything, so you know what that means! An all you can eat free buffet!" The fox was already drooling with his imaginary tail wagging wildly. His three friends just gave their smiles while secretly having animated sweat drops behind their heads.

Although, Jun figured that Hermos was right. Maybe not falling for Judai twice was for the best. He had a hundred wives, Yubel, and everything else. She'd just be another accessory to his life. She wasn't sure if she would be satisfied by that, and if he would be satisfied with her.

They grew up into different people, and their history was complicated. A lot of problems will arise if she confessed of who she was, and she wasn't sure if their relationship would survive. Especially with politics involved.

She can still reveal herself as the speck of light destined to help him in the war without revealing that she was the princess.

That was the best strategy.

._._._.

After the bath, they went back to the inn, and were informed by the receptionist that the King had checked in with his company. He expected them in the restaurant for dinner soon.

Jun didn't want to go. She was afraid of her disappointment becoming genuine, but she reasoned that she can't be a coward, so forced herself to go to the restaurant with the others. The other three did ask her if she was comfortable, and she told them with a smile that a disappointing childhood crush was nothing to her.

They went to the restaurant, and saw that the place had been bought for just them. They were led by a waiter to the middle of the room where the king and his company were already seated at. Jun wanted to stay away from Yubel and Judai, so she sat next to Timaeus who sat next to Austin. Critias sat next to Yubel since it looked like he didn't want Hermos near them when he took that seat from him.

Jun looked down at the table or the others. She did not want to look Judai in the eye, but she could feel his eyes right on her. Practically nudging at her to look at him. She wanted to yell at him to stop, but bit her lips together.

Judai told them with a gentle, happy tone, "I hope you don't mind, but we already ordered everything they had on the menu. If you liked any of them, you can have seconds or thirds or even more! I'm paying after all." He pulled a polite smile.

Hermos already liked this guy! He didn't know what Jun was talking about! "Don't mind if I do!"

"So while we are waiting for the food," Critias spoke up. "May I say, my king, if we are interrupting any other business that you may have whilst traveling. You didn't have to treat us so kindly."

"Not at all. I actually went to meet you guys on the way. I've heard about the four of you, and couldn't help my curiosity. Especially with the one named Jun Manjoume. I heard that this man was raised in Ojama Country."

Jun felt her heart skip an uneasy beat. Judai appeared to be a polite, nice guy, but she couldn't help but feel like she was being pulled in by a player. That this kindness wasn't one-hundred percent genuine. But then again, she figured that she was just reading too much into the situation, and wanted to think wrongly of Judai so she didn't fall for him, or get hit by disappointment too hard.

"Ma-?" Hermos was interrupted by Critias.

"Yes. _He_ was. Right, Jun?"

Jun understood that the genius of the group didn't want the king to think that she was up for grabs for marriage. The king wasn't married to anyone from the Ojama Country after all, and it was practically tradition for it to happen if the King was interested in anyone that was offered. He still ruled countries without marrying anyone, but those countries felt unfavored since they didn't have a woman in the castle. They would either accept the situation, yell about it, or try to create a female who can fit to his taste.

The rumor did go that the king didn't sleep with all of his wives. In fact, some of them were still virgins. There were a few wives he did favor in bed, but there was one wife who was believed to be the one who should be chosen as thee Supreme Queen.

When Jun heard of this, she felt like she was being suffocated by the fact that Judai met someone so perfect for him. But she learned to move on during her time in the academy.

She answered, "Uh, yes. I was found abandoned in a forest, and a traveling Ojama bought me to the country to be raised." She finally made eye contact with him, but she freaked out and looked back down at the table. She hated herself for being a coward as she continued to talk, "You already know that the ojamas are really annoying and smell really bad, but...yeah, that's pretty much there is to them."

"They are nice people, Jun." Timaeus had met her family with theirs friends.

Jun kind of agreed, "They are, but only if you get used to how annoying they are. They seriously bug everyone about their business, and you don't want to know what's under their speedos. Luckily, I wasn't made to wear one." She had come to like them when she came to the country to seek a safe home, but she only liked them because she developed a new kind of tolerance.

"That's fascinating." The king commented. Jun made eye contact with him again, and this time she looked a little longer to see the weird interest in his eyes. It's like his entire attention was on her as if he wanted something from her and was willing to play any game to get it. It made her uncomfortable.

Yubel also didn't like the way he was staring at her. She decided to control the situation. "I bet you four have interesting war stories to tell! How about you share?"

Austin was up for that, "I would love to know about your adventures, and perhaps we could trade strategies."

Everyone wanted to do that. Jun felt that she was safe because telling war stories would take up the whole dinner. Judai frown at the change of subject, but he knew that he could also learn about Jun, so he listened and asked questions. However, the questions all aimed at her.

Jun would admit that she was a bit happy by this, but it was weird. There's no way that Judai could know that she was the lost princess. She felt frightened that at some point by all this questioning that she would confess.

Other than that, the night went relatively good. Jun didn't say anything to destroy the peace, but her tense body was obvious to her friends.

When they reached their rooms to call it a night, Hermos was already asleep with Critias spooning him. The blond was still awake. "I don't want to say this, but you need to lighten up around the king, Jun. I understand that he makes you uncomfortable with his constant staring, but we can't become his enemy."

"Oh like how you haven't been glaring at him the entire dinner when he tried to talk to me?" Jun shot back, but it wasn't spiteful. "I know, and I doubt he remembers me."

"But why would he be infatuated with you?" Timaeus inquired as he got onto his side of the bed next to Jun.

The lost princess had an idea. Judai may just be into her because he had this insane idea that she could be Princess Jun, or wanted to use her to make it feel like Princess Jun was alive. It was conceited to think about it that way, and she can't say it, so she said, "He must just be _fascinated_ by the fact that I was raised by Ojamas. Remember that freak back at the academy, Insector Haga. He wouldn't stop pestering me about it even when I threaten to beat him up for real or in a fake duel."

Critias hated that guy. "Timaeus had to duel him just to get him to leave you alone."

"I rather not remember that. I was furious when I learned that he attempted to lock the both of you into a closet with a tranquilizer. Who knows what he could've done to you if Hermos hadn't shown up. It was a good thing that after the duel, Critias was able to convince the Academy's board to expel him." The fearsome duelist spoke calmly, but his eyes were blazing with a rage. It was definitely the best decision to expel the bug boy or else the kindest general would've done something inhumane.

Jun gave him a kiss on the cheek to shower down that blaze. "And I'm still thankful for what all of you did."

"And we'll do it again." Critias told her. "That man may be our king, but if he tries to do anything to you, or doesn't respect your space, then we will protect you. You are important to me."

"To us." Timaeus held her hand. "If anything, you are our princess, Jun, and we are your humble soldiers."

Jun felt her breath hitched. She couldn't take it anymore. Her guilt was pouring down her face. "I'm sorry." She spoke breathlessly. She needed them. She needed someone to know the truth to make it easier for her to be around Judai. "I've been lying to the three of you of who I am for the last four years."

Hermos felt a change in the atmosphere that woke him up.

Critias and Timaeus were silent.

Jun used her light powers to cast a spell, so no one heard them. She then confessed, "Do you know about the Light and Darkness Kingdom? The kingdom that was destroyed." None of them spoke. "The kingdom had a princess. I was the princess of that kingdom, and I know Judai because he visited that kingdom thirteen years ago, and over the years after his visit, we've been sending letters to each other, and we fell in love to the point that he asked me to marry him!" She broke down to sobs.

Timaeus, Hermos, and Critias were beyond shocked.

 _Song: I'll Stand By You_

Critias stood up, and he was in between leaving the room and staying. Timaeus was also the same.

Hermos spoke, "And the reason you told us now is because you need us to help you with the king because you don't know of what's right or wrong anymore."

Jun nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for lying."

"I don't blame ya." Hermos got up and held her in his arms. "I mean you grew up in a kingdom that a lot of small minded assholes in the world hated for whatever the fuck problem they had with light and dark monsters breedin' n' shit, and you were what? FOURTEEN when you watched your entire kingdom utterly destroyed, and then in only TWO years, ya were kickin' ass n' takin' names at the academy to prove to yourself that you were still worth somethin'. I mean. Shit. I thought I was the tough one, but you've been through Hell. Does that explain why you have that scar on your chest and back?"

Jun nodded. "I used to have wings." She strained herself to speak. "But the one responsible for the destruction ripped them off my back."

Her three friends stared horrified at her. They though that she was just cut badly by some fucked up guy, but instead, two of her own limbs were _ripped_ off.

"The scar on my chest was when I couldn't handle being alive anymore. Back at the rubble of my kingdom, I knew that Judai was coming, but I ran away from him because I was too scared of anything bad happening to him because of me. It's my fault that my kingdom was destroyed. I couldn't handle the guilt and pain anymore, that I just wanted to end it, but at my final hours I heard my parents and my people telling me to live. To keep going on with their spirit." She gripped the sleeve of Hermos' shirt tightly to the point that the brown of her knuckles turned pale. "I needed to live for them, and try to make the world a better place for everyone."

Timaeus and Critias made eye contact and they both agreed that they felt betrayed, but they understood why. Timaeus hugged her from behind and Critias stood in her line of vision.

"How did you know that the king was coming for you?" He inquired

Jun took a moment to collect herself to answer, "The Light of Destruction told me."

Could the three of them even go beyond shock at this point?

She explained, "There is an evil darkness out there, and it was responsible for the destruction of my kingdom. The reason that it was targeted was not because of what we stood for, but because I am the reincarnation of the speck of light." She formed a small star on her palm. She explained to them about how the universe was created, and then told them about how she was able to keep the Light and the Harsh Darkness from finding her.

She created this shield in the dimension's atmosphere, and she would be aware that it was still up as long as the tribal sun tattoo was on her back. But it can disappear if she faced it towards the moon. The Light was furious by this, but this allowed Jun to control when they could meet, and make deals. So far, the Light had been true to her word.

"How are you so sure that you can trust them?" Critias inquired.

"I don't, but so far, there had been no news of mind controlled zombies or destroyed kingdoms. The Light claims to love me, but like a psychopath. The only thing she ever ask of me is to dance for her."

Timaeus found that believable. "I'm not surprised. You are a magnificent dancer, Jun, and that explains the random auroras at night."

"So the reason that you were out of you tent last time was so you can talk to her." Hermos put it together.

"Yes. I'm sorry for lying."

"It's okay." Critias immediately told her. "You had a heavy burden to bear, and I have nothing but respect for you, Jun. You overcame your obstacles and weaknesses. You have surpassed all three of us in spirit and will."

"And you may not have your kingdom anymore, Princess Jun." Timaeus stood up. Hermos did, too, and the three of them knelled on one knee before her. "But you are our princess, and we will be your soldiers."

"That's not necessary."

"This doesn't really change anythin'." Hermos told her while he stood up. "We were already on board to protect you from anything, Jun, like you would for us. You were already our princess from the start. Just now, we can see you as a real one."

Timaeus nodded as he stood. "You walk with the will of your people. You are still a princess."

Critias stood up as well. "Just don't start acting like you can order us around from now on. More than you already do that is."

Jun gave them a tired smile. "I don't plan on fighting the darkness or the light soon. I need to reunite with Judai as only the speck of light. If I come to him as Princess Jun, he might want to rekindle a relationship that we...might not be able to work out. Taking down the Light and the Harsh Darkness should be our top priority."

"Then we should tell him when we get to the kingdom." Hermos figured. "You can prove it with your powers."

Critias pointed out, "The problem is that it doesn't say in the prophecy about the speck of light."

"I was too small for those with the powers of retrocognition to see in their vision, but Pegasus, the inventor of fake dueling, saw me. He was the one who put me in a pod that protected me from the destruction."

"Wait! You mean Pegasus, the one responsible for making dueling safe to play, was your citizen?!" When Jun nodded, Hermos was just mind blown with his brain matter all across the universe at this point.

Timaeus talked, "I supposed that there really isn't a believable way to reveal who you are without revealing your true identity. We can only leave it to faith that he'll believe you."

"We could try to pull some elaborate plan to make him believe." Hermos suggested. "I mean we just need some crazy guy to act like he saw the planets align and change the prophecy to talk about the speck of light. Once the rumor becomes popular, and the king wants to know if the speck of light is real, Jun will swoop in an reveal that she's the speck of light, and does some amazing trick. Can ya raise the dead?"

Jun knitted her eyebrows together with a slightly offended expression. Hermos punched himself mentally in the gut, "Oh fuck, sorry. I mean, can youuuuuuuu...?" he looked to the two geniuses in the room.

"Uhm. Dueling is obviously a part of the great war, and the Supreme King can control the spirits. What can the speck of light do?"

"Create cosmic life after I'm killed." Jun answered frankly, but then she realized how bad that sounded for her. "Okay, maybe I have another ability. It's not like I gave the darkness permission to control the spirits. I obviously gave this world free will. You're welcome by the way."

"Are you sure that we have free will?" Hermos questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Trust me. If you didn't, you and Critias would've been shacking it sooner than me losing my virginity to Timaeus. I'm pretty much limited to make sure of that. I don't have omniscience. The way I function is like a heart in the body. I don't know what's happening outside and inside of the body, but I do know that my role is to keep pumping in order for everything to live."

"So you are this world's lifeline." Critias summarized.

"I guess you could put it this way. I can be killed like a normal person in this body and not wipe out the universe, but the Light told me that if the light inside me is taken and destroyed, it will destroy this universe, or worse."

"Worse?" Timaeus didn't like the sound of that.

"It turned out that the light inside me is growing like a fruit, and when I turn twenty-six, the light inside me will be ripe for the Harsh Darkness' taking. If the Harsh Darkness does take it, and use it to create his universe, there's a likely chance that that universe will try to destroy this one."

"So apocalypse." Hermos nodded with his lips raised. "Gotcha."

"Moving that problem aside for now," Timaeus redirected the conversation back to their main discussion, "We need to discover your other ability, and we can do that while the rumor is spreading around. That should be our first priority."

"Then we're really doing this." Jun knew the situation was dire, but she was truly happy to have her best friends be there for her. But then her heart faltered at the idea of them dying. "Maybe I should do it alone!"

"Don't be an idiot." Critias scolded her.

"He's right." Timaeus said. "Not about you being an idiot, but that you don't need to worry about us. The Harsh Darkness can't take our energies away, and the Light is the Supreme King's opponent. We will gladly sacrifice our lives for you, and we will be together in the next life. I promise that. We all promise that, Jun."

Jun knew that, and since she dragged them into it, she'll do her best to use their help, but keep them safe.

She nodded. Their plan wasn't perfect, but it was a step forward.

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

._._._.

A/N:

Well that was the first awkward somewhat reunion of Jun and Judai. Jun is panicking because it's been six years since she met Judai, and she is afraid of falling in love with him considering the politics, evil entities, and Judai has a hundred wives and one of them is wanted to be the queen who'll pop the babies! Not only that, she literally ran away from him and hid for six years, so a lot of guilt, and fear that the relationship might not work out after all.

She wants to be with Judai, but doesn't wanna screw everything up because that's just how powerful romantic relationships are! It can screw everything up!

So you met Timaeus, Hermos and Critias. They are similar to their present reincarnations where Hermos is rough and tough like Joey. Timaeus is gentle but strong like Atem and Yugi. Critias has Seto's possessiveness and cruelty, but kinder like Set.

Critias is overprotective of Jun and tries to not control her, but does try to control the situation to protect her and Hermos. Jun sees him as a father/big brother figure, and doesn't mind him acting the way he does since she does need to be scolded and protected because she can feel vulnerable.

Hermos is the one who does crazy things with Jun, keeps things simple in a situation, and doesn't forget her strength and acknowledges her weaknesses with sympathy and empathy. Jun sees him as her sun and rock. Someone who can make her smile and remind her that she is flawed but powerful.

Timaeus is the one who mediates the situation. He's a great leader but also a dork. Jun looks to him as someone who can save the day if she can't do it, and makes her feel normal and safe. Like the day may become outrageous, but being with Timaeus would make it feel like a day that'll just breeze by as a memory to look back on. It gives her hope for the next day.

Jun is someone precious to these three. Further explained in next chapter.

You also got to meet Edo: Prime Minister of the Supreme King's kingdom.

Austin: Human guardian of the Supreme King (Not necessarily needed, but if people are serious about dueling the king, they need to get through him first.)

Cook: He's the incarnation of Jim Crocodile Cook, but is an actual alligator, and Jun's second-in-command. How do you write Australian accents?

Isono: Critias' second-in-command. Roland has been loyal to Seto since the start.

 **Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Listening to Mayday Parade and so many of their songs could've fit into these first few chapters, but I wanna put one song from each artist.

Plus this dimension is a mix between medieval past, this present, and also a bit futuristic since there is a mix of duel monsters and humans who like to traditionally live a certain way while accepting new things.

Each of Chazz's reincarnation has different dance styles. Jun's own is contemporary when alone, but her favorite are waltzes. Jaswinder does different types of Indian dances, but her favorite is Odissi. Xiaoling likes to do dances that are fast pace like fox trot and tango, but she prefers break dancing. Chazz can do many types of dances, but his favorite is ballet.

._._._.

The next morning, the generals discussed about where Jun was to sit in the carriage because Critias wanted her to sit farthest from the king. Timaeus reasoned that they should sit facing each other so they could form a friendship. Hermos reminded them that it was Jun's decision. She agreed with Timaeus that she should sit closer, but wouldn't mind if he was the one who sat in front of the king. Timaeus was the most diplomatic among them, and pointed out that she remembered Yubel to be possessive of Judai.

By the sound of that, Critias marked Yubel as the enemy.

"No one's an enemy. A bitch maybe, but not an enemy." Jun reasoned.

Critias reminded her, "She wants to wedge the gap between you and the king. It makes her a priority target to get rid of. But if I actually had a choice on how things should go, I rather that we didn't use their help at all. We can find a way to take down the Harsh Darkness together, and leave the great fated battle between the Light and Darkness between those jokes."

Jun considered it. "Then maybe we can find a way. I actually have a way to take down the Light."

" _You do?_ Geeze woman, are you the freakin' creation of surprises? Maybe that's your other ability." Hermos honestly wasn't sure if he could take anymore surprises before it became irritating on his nerves.

"I trained myself for two years to control me powers at the Ojama Country. It might be hard for you to believe, but the Ojamas each have special skills that helped me master and understand my powers. I may not know everything, but I can feel the state of the universe. The Light and the Harsh Darkness only surrounds this universe. The white hole that moves through the different dimensions' is only a drip of the Light, and it is bound by the rules of my world."

"Okay, hold on." Hermos wanted to make sure he got it. He paraphrased, "So you're saying that only a tiny bit of the actual Light is inside our universe, and it is bound by your rules?"

The dark brown and pale woman answered, "Not my rules. I gave this world free will, but to give people freedom doesn't mean that they are actually free."

Critias elaborated, "Because the people will make rules among themselves which restricts parts of their given freedom, so they can establish balance."

Timaeus added, "The White Light came wanting to bring chaos, but just like a criminal entering a new town, they have to face the law first, and there are forces that can hold those laws true."

Hermos began understanding, "So because of these rules, it can only squeeze a bit of itself in and only do so much. That's why we're all not killed yet."

"Or turned into slaves." Jun explained, "She has a habit of mind controlling people. She thinks that she can make us her puppets, and take the light energy away from."

"Light energy?" Hermos arched an eyebrow at her.

"Everyone is created by a mixture of light and dark energies. The Light can take the light energy, but those she takes it from leaves what you'd call a dark footprint. And I can feel the energies she took, so there's a chance that even if she does try to take you away, I can bring you back. That's one of the great things about my universe. Nothing is completely gone." She hugs Hermos' warm arm with a content smile.

Her best friends smiled with her.

Then Timaeus asked, "If you do have a plan to take down the Light, then will it work with the Harsh Darkness?"

"No. I-"

There was a knock on the door, and Austin informed them that it was time to go.

Hermos asked, "Can you freeze time?"

Jun sighed. She really thought they had more time. "Never tried since time is funny, but I can try now."

"We can discuss this later." Timaeus didn't want any weird magic to go wrong.

The four of them went to the carriage. They seated themselves just as planned. Judai only spared Jun a smile. She forced herself to smile for him. She didn't know who Judai was really smiling at. The Ojama knight or the seven-year-old Princess Jun.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked. His eyes solely concentrated on her. She avoided eye contact.

"Yup! It was great! Beats camping outside!" Hermos answered for them. He lied since they were all wide awake by Jun's confession. They just learned that their own friend had been suffering from a traumatic heart crushing past that only happened over five years ago. Her wounds held a depressing backstory, and she was carrying the burden and pressure of the universe on her shoulders. On top of all that, at her twenty-sixth birthday, she was at risk of being taken by the Harsh Darkness.

And yet, this woman smiled, and stood on her own two feet without her wings to help her out of falling situations. Four years passed. So much history where they literally laid down their lives for each other between them, and not once had Jun hinted at her suffering.

The three of them all made their silent vows to protect her when the conflicts arose.

"You guys seem tense." Austin commented. "Still feeling the effect of the war?"

"Not at all." Critias lied. "The enemy was barely a challenge. We look intense to you, but this is the kind of atmosphere that we naturally give off."

"It's true. We barely even notice ourselves." Hermos supported the lie. Only Critias gave off that atmosphere a majority of the time naturally.

Yubel and Austin wondered if that was true. They seemed distant as if they wanted to leave. At least, the tall blond one gave off that idea.

The duel monster had an idea why. "I couldn't put it on my finger before, but now I recognize you as that Critias: son of the former general under the previous king. It looks like you've followed in his footsteps."

Critias' frown turned into a harmless smirk, but the other three knew that smirk was dangerous. This was one of the reasons why Critias hated meeting with people of upper class more than the other classes. All they could ever see were the predecessors.

"I wouldn't call it as following my father's footsteps. After all, he got his position out of privilege. I earned mine." He spoke clearly. Almost sternly. He was in front of people with the power to execute him after all. "And yes. My father and I don't see eye to eye. However, you wouldn't be aware of that because my father ordered the truth about what he likes to call 'my hormonal rebellious phase' to be buried. It's only appropriate of me to speak the truth in front of my king."

Judai spared him a glance. He actually hadn't been listening at all. "That's good to know. You know, we've only talked about the events of the war over dinner last night. I'd be interested to know about what your academy life was like, too. It was written in the reports that the four of you had become an inseparable team after your first battle simulation."

Jun remembered that simulation clearly, but it was the half of the school year before the event that was important.

 _Flashback_

 _At the knight academy, sixteen-year-old Jun and Hermos were looking at a bulletin board with their duel disks that was used for fake duels. It was the middle of the school year and they were assigned to teams for the team up battle simulations._

 _"Oh mighty Supreme King, please make me n' Jun pair up! Pair up! C'mon! C'mon!" Hermos was sliding his finger across the several pieces of papers. Jun was just as anxious as him. Then his finger stopped right in between their names under one title that stated that they were both in Group Alpha. They both gasped in relief! "Oh yeah, baby! I knew it!"_

 _"Of course! These groups were made to pair those with perfect compatibility, and we are perfect!" The two grinned joyfully at this._

 _But then a snarky tone cut into the moment like a butter knife. "Or that they are setting you two up to fail together, so this institution can finally find a good excuse to rid of you."_

 _The two of them glared at the person speaking to see the popular purple eyed jackass of the academy smirking haughtily at them. "Why do you spend time with this fox, Jun? He's obviously holding you back from your academic skills." He inquired while Timaeus was checking for their names. Jun didn't know the two of them personally. Only by the fact they their names had a habit of being in the top three for every academic challenge.  
_

 _"Oh please, Curtis." That was the name that the academy knew this teen to be. Jun rose her arm to keep her best friend from attacking him, and defended, "The only thing Hermos holds me back from is snipping your perfect hair at night like what happened to Chenko last month."_

 _"You do realize that you confessed to committing that crime."_

 _"I didn't say that it was me." She pointed out slyly. Her smirk looking positively evil. She promised to do good in the world, and she considered what she did as an act of punishment that was long overdue. Especially after the male had pulled a prank gone too far on one of the other students._

 _Timaeus spoke up after his sliding finger had stopped at a spot that Hermos' finger was previously. "It's best that you two hold your arguments for later. It looks like the four of us are in the same team."_

 _"What?!" Hermos nearly gave himself whiplash by how fast he turned his head. He checked their names and saw that the four of them were all under the same group. "No. No. This must be a mistake. There's no way the school could think that we can work as a team."_

 _"No, they wouldn't." Critias glared with an answer in his eyes. The teen honestly believed that his father had done this, and set him up for failure so he would return home, and attend a more prestige institution.  
_

 _"Have an idea of why they would do that, big guy?" Hermos asked accusingly, but the taller teen walked away without an answer. "Hey! I'm talkin' ta ya! Don't ignore meh!" He took hold of his shoulder. Critias sent him a chilling glare that sent a murderous vibe throughout the hallway, but Hermos' fiery, determined eyes did not deter away from glaring back. "If you have any news, we'd like it if ya shared, ya bastard. We're all involved in this."_

 _"Not for long after I have a talk with the chancellor." The coldly furious teen declared._

 _"Wait, Cri-"_

 _"Timaeus!" Critias heard that slip. Timaeus silently cursed himself for that._

 _Hermos and Jun felt like they were caught in the middle of something, but ignored it. Jun suggested, "Then let's all go." They all looked at her, so she explained, "Obviously, if you go alone, it will appear as a complaint, but with the four of us present, then it is a genuine grievance. As students, none of us have any true power against this decision unless a majority of the party involved is at a disagreement. Of course, we can't just barge in with each of us voicing our anger. We need to enter with a plausible argument against this."_

 _"She's right." Timaeus agreed. "But if I may speak, I don't see any genuine problems to the four of us pairing up together. From what I can see, each one of us can make up for another person's fault or lacking in a certain area."_

 _"If that's the case, then we deserve better than this idiot." Critias declared._

 _Hermos barked back, "And we deserve better than this heartless asshole! He's bound to leave us in the dust, even in the middle of a battle simulation."_

 _"I wouldn't have to if your intelligence wouldn't hold us back."_

 _"Now listen here, you-"_

 _"You're both hopeless!" Jun cut in. "This team will obviously not work because the two haven't gotten over your stupid prides and fuck already!"_

 _"Excuse me?!" Both males yelled surprised and repulsed._

 _"Oh come on!" The girl crossed her arms, greatly disappointed in them. "I've seen real hatred." She really had from her travels to and from Ojama Country. There was barbaric people out there who expressed hatred that held a cup above this. Aand you two can act like you hate each other, but I'm sorry Hermos, but I'm telling Curtis now that you told me that he-Mmph!"_

 _"Shut up! I didn't mean what I said!" The blushing fox-looking male declared. Jun arched a blunt, dubious eyebrow at him and then side glanced at Timaeus._

 _Timaeus saw what she was doing, so played along. "Oh really? I heard from Curtis that what he truly thought about Hermos i-"_

 _"Speak another word, and I will hang you by a cross and prolong your misery before you succumb to your eventual death. Not only that, but I will have that cross delivered to the front of your family's home, so I can watch your loved ones' expressions as they scream in horror."_

 _"..."_

 _"WHAT DE FUCK IS WRONG WIT' YOU?!" Hermos screamed what was in everyone's head. "If you don't want him to say what I think he's gonna say, you don't have to go that far!"_

 _"Shut up, pup. As if what he was going to say was anything good about you. I simply don't like him running his mouth about me."_

 _"Well, I'm not a pussy to admit that, fuck, I do think yur hot fer a damn sociopathic asshole! Thank you for making me realize how shallow I truly was fer think' that!"_

 _Jun could've sworn that Critias looked surprised for the slightest second, before he yelled back, "And I'm glad to make that improvement, you impertinent fool!"_

 _"Good! And by the way, the doll apartment called! They said they're missing one of their models! Description: Six-foot, blond, and dickless!"_

 _"Newsflash, the animal control center had been hanging up fliers all of the place! It stated to watch out for a neutered, feral fox! Warning: Don't get close because it has a contagious disease that can deteriorate the cells of a person's cerebrum! Wait, is that too difficult for you to understand?! Then let me put it in simpler terms. The people who gets near an idiot like you has their intelligence taken down to your level!"_

 _It looked really bad, but it looked like it was only heating up. Thankfully, one of the adults stopped them, and told them to walk away. They did go their opposite ways. Hermos informed Jun that he was going to let off some steam._

 _Timaeus asked Jun, "Are you sure that they have feelings for each other?"_

 _The female explained, "Trust me. I can speak asshole. Curtis sounds harsh, but he's only testing Hermos, and Hermos is showing that he can take it, but they're both insecure of confessing their feelings because they don't know if the relationship can actually work."_

 _"With how they treat each other now, I also doubt it can work."_

 _"It's true that they both have a lot of pride and venom, but Hermos is a very understanding and loving person who can see beyond Curtis' faults, and Curtis can push the right buttons to unlock a potential that Hermos needs unlocking. It's only a matter of whether Curtis will let his guard down. For now, they just have to keep doing this tango until Curtis relents or Hermos gives up. Anyway, enough about them. We haven't actually talked one on one like this. Jun Manjoume! The only female knight-in-training at this academy specifically and possibly the best duelist around! You already knew that of course!" She gloated._

 _"Ah, yes. I have. It's an absolute honor to meet you, Jun." He rose his hand._

 _Jun complied to hold it. "And I already know who you are. To be honest, I only added the possible part because of you."_

 _"Me?"_

 _"Yeah! Critias is a pretty powerful duelist that I secretly idolize him, and Hermos is pretty tough with a great amount of luck on his side, but you are something else as both a duelist and a knight." Jun's silver eyes glistened. She watched him and Critias duel which wasn't difficult since they dueled so many times to even a score between the two powerful knights.  
_

 _Timaeus softly blushed at the compliments. "You flatter me, Jun, but there's no way that I can beat your passion nor confidence."_

 _"With that attitude, obviously not! You're not even being modest! Shame on you, Timay!"_

 _"Timay?" That was getting to familiar too quickly for the young student._

 _Jun kept going, though, "But don't worry! You'll be brimming with confidence once we act as a team!"_

 _"How are you so sure that we'll stay a team?"_

 _"Because no one else wants to team up with Curtis, so he's stuck with us, and he's the one who needs to suck it up, so we can accomplish our missions." She spoke with conviction.  
_

 _"It'll take a miracle for that to happen." Timaeus somewhat joked._

 _The girl gave him a knowing smile. "The battle simulation isn't until the end of the school year since right now we have to do our studies and participate as a team for physical education. We can make it happen before then."_

 _"I don't know of whether to take your confidence as foolish or not."_

 _"I'm willing to be a fool." She claimed with a daring smirk. Timaeus thought it looked evil, but he saw the good intentions behind it._

 _And thus, for the rest of the first few months, Jun had Critias become Hermos' tutor, and made it a mandatory assignment to always meet at the library where they were forced to behave. Jun spent her time teaching Timaeus on how to gain some confidence by making him do ridiculous things such as dress as a clown and do public speaking. Hermos joined in on teaching him how to perform better at physical sports while Timaeus taught him of how to duel better._

 _Critias and Jun would talk when those two were busy. They were very civil with each other when they weren't talking about Hermos. Their conversations ranged from politics to insulting the people that caught their eye. They relished in each others intelligence, egos, and cruelty._

 _They've all been through ridiculous activities together that were pulled by Jun and Hermos whom couldn't help running around and making trouble. From cleaning their dump of a room, breaking nightly curfews to spy on suspicious people, destroying property and then having to clean or make up for their actions afterwards._

 _They've also worked together to protect students from bullies, help teachers get through teaching, and be the heroes of the day when someone needed them._

 _These events had changed each of them in someway while also hardening their friendship despite Critias trying to distance himself from them. Their act as a team through an obstacle course during physical education always went smoothly since they were all determined to win so were willing to push away any ill feelings between them._

 _"Ha ha ha ha! We were the first team to pass through that obstacle course with no trouble at all again!" Hermos threw his fists to the air. The four of them were relaxing together at a restaurant since they were allowed to travel outside of the academy if they had their special passes._

 _"I guess you are capable of doing something with your okay skills. Your test results have improved a little bit again." Critias commented with less mockery._

 _"Whatever! You're proud of me!" The golden-eyed fighter grinned ecstatically. Those golden orbs glittering happily._

 _"I only said you improved a little bit which doesn't give me the feeling of success, but...I guess I am the tiniest bit impressed by your performance." The lilac orbs on that handsome face sheen with a soft, wonderful emotion._

 _Jun sipped her drink while Timaeus was swallowing sandwich after sandwich. She snorted. "You eat as bad as Hermos when sandwiches are involved! Hermos, did you do this?!"_

 _"What?! No! What, you think when a guy eats like a trap card, it's because of me?!"_

 _"You have Curtis smiling like a lovesick fool! And I, for one, was a lady before I met you!"_

 _"Pfft! Lady?! Girl, if anythin', ya're de one who made me a slob! You're the reason why our room was like a dump!"_

 _Jun theatrically gasped, "I did no such thing! I am appalled that you-"_

 _"Oh, you're appalled! Then I must be crazy!"_

 _"You must be because it wasn't me who threw the opened can of tomatoes out of the window and land on one of our great teachers!"_

 _"Wait," Timaeus spoke up. Always greatly amused by their playful interactions. "What were you doing with a can of tomatoes? You're not allowed to have food in the dorm rooms. In fact, I haven't asked this yet but how are you two sharing a room when you're opposite gender?"_

 _Hermos and Jun were deadly silent for a moment until Hermos answered with a very serious but also full of bullshit tone, "There's a really good reason behind this..." He was using vague hand gestures, and hesitated for a moment before answering, "Jun was shot by a skunk and it stunk really BAD n' we had the can of tomatoes to get rid of the smell!"_

 _"It's true." Jun was shaking her head sadly as if a great misdeed was done to her. Fake tears coming to her eyes. "I'm traumatized to this day!"_

 _"Or you were planning to use that can of tomatoes to create a ketchup bomb that would set off in the water pipe that led to the boy's locker room, and would have Hermos scream that it was blood to cause hysterical panic. I saw the blueprints and details to your plan when we were cleaning your dump of a room." Critias revealed the truth._

 _But Hermos and Jun still defended themselves!_

 _"First off," Jun started, "Those old pipes needed to be changed!"_

 _"But our Chancellor is a cheapskate!" Hermos exposed!_

 _"And have really bad fashion sense! And the way he talks?!" She mocked the adult by mimicking his flamboyant gestures, strange facial expressions, and demeaning, pretentious tone, "OOOOOh, Jun. Still being a tomboy I see! You know there's an academy that teaches girls to be both knights and ladies! Hohohoho!"_

 _Hermos joined in, "Oh Hermos! Your grades improved! Miracles do happen!"_

 _Jun added, "Critias truly is such a good student! Just as much as Timaeus! But I wished they'd **rub off** each other. Maybe Timaeus may discover the secret to tallness, and Critias could learn to be less stiff!"_

 _"Oh look at me, and my lovely hair that's barely even there!"_

 _"Oh look at my striped clown pants with my ruffled collared shirt! They're godly horrendous but I just feel so FABULOUS!"_

 _Everyone burst out laughing! Timaeus tried to hold his own in, but hearing everyone else laugh made it hard for him! Hermos accidentally slammed his fist on the ketchup bottle that squirted it on the poor tri-colored haired teen. Critias laughed even louder at the sight of his rival like that! Timaeus took his napkin to wipe his face and was still laughing. They were soon scolded for being too rambunctious. They quiet themselves down to chuckles and snickers._

 _Jun reminded them excitedly, "Next week is our first battle simulation as a team! With how great we are together in the academy, there's no way we can't score perfectly!"_

 _"It's best not to count our dragon eggs before they hatch." Timaeus warned her._

 _"But what could possibly go wrong?!" Hermos asked, unable to fathom anything going downhill. "You're a lot more confident than before! My grades are going up! Curtis is cooperating with us! Who the hell knew that would happen!"_

 _"I did!" Jun rose her hand proudly. "I always knew we could be a team! And I am..." Her pride softened to a loving emotion as she answered honestly, "Very happy. I've been through a lot. You could tell by my scars, and we've all had our own battles, and here we are together." She smiled gratefully at her three best friends. She never thought she could ever feel like she belonged to what felt almost like a family. It hurt to keep the truth from them, but she believed it was too much to tell them. She just wanted to be happy. "The four of us can stand powerful on our own, but together, we're unstoppable, so" She rose her cup. "To Group Alpha! Actually, let's call ourselves the legendary knights! Sounds cliche' but better be blunt that without a doubt we will become legends."_

 _"I hear to that!" Hermos rose his cup._

 _Timaeus rose his own. "Then to us! The knights-in-training today, but will become the legendary knights of tomorrow!"_

 _Critias rose his cup. "I have no plans to stick with you lot after I graduate from the academy, but you do have one thing right. I will become a legend above all legends."_

 _"Glad to know I don't have to put you the next time I'm asked of where do I see myself ten years in the future." Hermos joked._

 _They all clacked their cups together. "To the legendary knights!"_

 _It was practically the day that they promised to always remain friends. They believed that everything was going smoothly, but then a few days before the battle simulation, Critias was taken away from the school by his father. Timaeus told them the truth that Curtis' real name was Critias, and that he was the son of the current general. He ran from home in order to make a name for himself without his father's help._

 _Song: Sweet Escape - Alesso_

 _However, it turned out that the general kept tabs on him, and he did not like the news of his son having friends or the antics that he's been through lately, so took him away for private tutoring abroad. Jun and Hermos were outraged. Not by the lie, but by the fact that they were losing Critias when it wasn't his choice._

 _Not willing to stand for this, the three of them created a plan to find Critias and break him free. They worked together to secretly gain information about his whereabouts, and find the help to get items to escape from the academy, and get to him. After their journey, they found Critias at another academy with high tech security. It definitely looked more snazzy than their academy that their school practically looked like a torn down facility._

 _But that didn't matter. If Critias wanted to school here, then he should choose to. They had gotten one of their classmates back from the academy to do an untraceable hacking of the security. When they were signaled by the phone that they were given that it was safe to go in, they snuck in, and found him in his bedroom._

 _Hermos and Timaeus argued with him to come back, but Critias predictably lied to them that he wanted nothing to do with them, and the time they shared meant nothing to him. Jun took the next course of action to hit him from behind to knock him out, but then it turned out that only Jun planned that._

 _Hermos screeched, "What de hell, Jun?!"_

 _"We don't have time! Carry him, and let's get out of here! We'll convince him once we hit our next destination. Capeesh?!"_

 _"You're a crazy bitch, you know that." Though Hermos did as he was told anyway._

 _"Hey, you wouldn't be hanging out with me if I wasn't! We have fun because I'm a crazy bitch, and Timaeus has my crazy bitch side to thank!"_

 _Timaeus did agree, "I certainly learned to get over being embarrassed since I dueled_ _ _one of the many gang leaders in the academy_ with nothing on but a jam covered bread on my front side and a peanut butter covered bread on my backside in the school's gym."_

 _"It takes great humiliation to learn how to not give a fuck." Jun spoke wisely. "Now move! We got a minute before the security guard comes!"_

 _They got away on their speedboat, and then put Critias into Abulanceroid who drove them to Ojama Country._

 _The knocked out teen soon woke up to the smell of sweet toasts and coffee. "Oh, you're awake!" An old yellow Ojama was sitting next to him in a rocking chair while quilting. A breakfast tray was on a table next to him. "Junie and your other two friends will be so happy! Junie! He's awake!...Hm. They must've went off to get more firewood!"_

 _"Where am I?" He inquired while sitting up. He winced because the back of his head hurt.  
_

 _"Why, you're in Ojama Country! Junie bought you here because you were trapped by a great meanie! That's our Junie for you! Always doing reckless things for the people she loves. Even when she knows that she's the fool, she proudly acts the part, and becomes the star of the show!"_

 _"Then she needs to be reminded that the fool should remain the fool that does nothing more than be a laughingstock. Not to bother with other people's affairs." Critias said with restrained anger. He was pissed off that she hit him down!_

 _"Maybe I wouldn't if I didn't think that my best friend is being held prisoner by his own father." Jun entered with Timaeus and Hermos. "Face it, Curtis, or should I call you Critias!" She pointed a dramatic finger at him. "You went with what your father told you because he threatened us and our families!"_

 _"If you know that, then you should've just let me be!" The male didn't deny it. There was no point. "My father could destroy your very futures! Now that you kidnapped me, you already sealed your fate!"_

 _"We are well aware, Critias." Timaeus told him. "My grandpa, and Hermos' family is here, too, to protect them from your father. He won't attack this country without probable cause, so we are safe here."_

 _"And what? You plan on living in this ojama infested nation for the rest of your lives?!"_

 _"No way! You're the genius here! You should obviously have a plan!" Hermos yelled at him. He had nothing against the Ojamas, but he had places to be!  
_

 _"I did, but I never included you three! When I told you to stay away from me, you should've done as I said!"_

 _"If you haven't noticed, that's a little too late, so you better start including us in that plan of yours now!" Jun sat down next to him so they could look eye to eye. "We may have endangered our futures, but we can't live with with it if we can't live with ourselves for letting you give up your freedom for our sake." She held his hand with both of hers as she profoundly let him know, "You are a real asshole who thinks he knows everything, constantly picks on Hermos because he's in love with him, has an obsession to beat Timaeus at dueling, turns me into a worse bitch, puts down everyone he sees, and doesn't give a word of compassion. The only good thing about you is your looks, your money, and your brain. Aaaand, your ambition to earn what you want without being spoiled. The three of us don't want that one good thing about you taken away. We know that it's important to you, and you deserve to accomplish it, so we will do everything in our power to help you because we **care**_ _ _. Yes, Critias, that emotion can exist!_ "_

 _The insulted male softly and quietly laughed. His cold purple eyes softened to a level that they never seen before. It looked...child-like._

 _Knowing that Critias was on board without a word, Hermos and Timaeus placed their hands on theirs to show that they were on board to protect Critias at all cost._

 _"This is still idiotic." He claimed._

 _"Awww! That's Critias speak for he loves us!" Hermos joked and they all hugged him with their shit eating grins._

 _He just scoffed, but didn't remove them until it began to get a little hot._

 _They soon began planning their steps of taking action against Critias' father. Through the help of several people who could get them what they needed secretly, they were able to gain evidence and blackmail against the general, and present it all privately in court before a judge that wouldn't be influenced by bribes._

 _Although the general had several lawyers who could win, Critias, Timaeus, and Jun had done their homework and considered everything that could go wrong, so they could take them down with their own arguments before the judge. Hermos made sure that they had been fed and well taken care of, so they didn't kill themselves in the process._

 _In the end, Critias won and was allowed to remove himself from his father's guardianship, and gain a restraining order from him._

 _The general could not live with the humiliation, so he was willing to make a deal with his son and his friends that he will accept his freedom and leave his friends and their families alone if he was willing to let this be buried. Jun took it a step forward for the general to undo some of his actions such as wrongfully imprisoning soldiers. With the evidence provided before the judge who had the most power in the room, it was declared that this should happen or else the general was to go to jail._

 _The man was beyond furious! He decided it was better off killing everyone in the room by using his duel disk. Jun secretly used her power to put on its safety, so the duel that Critias and him engaged in didn't end with death._

 _The judge wanted the general to be executed! But Critias reasoned that the kingdom couldn't handle the humiliation, so proposed that his father be possessed by a duel monster who can make him remain well behaved, and continue his general duties until he could be replaced._

 _Everything ended happily for the four of them, and going through the battle simulation was a breeze._

 _Flashback End_

"It was a memorable day." Timaeus answered. "We were expected to learn to act as a team half of the semester before, and I can answer with all honesty that the four of us gained something from each other that only solidified our unbreakable friendship. Nothing, not even this war, could split us apart."

"Even if something or someone would try, they would easily be deleted from the matter." Critias let them know.

"We do fight among ourselves, but we always pull through whatever got our blood pumping!" Hermos said proudly.

Judai asked, "Do you duel among yourselves often?"

"Whenever we have the time." Hermos answered. "But we haven't for awhile since the war and all."

"But we could duel when we arrive at the castle." Critias suggested. He thought that this was the perfect opportunity to test the king's skills of whether he was as strong as everyone says he is, and whether he was good enough for Jun.

However, Yubel told them, "I'm sorry, but the king has more important duties to attend to. He's wasted enough of his time from meeting you halfway. He needs to get back to work."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find the time to duel them." Judai really wanted to duel Jun. He wanted to see what kind of monsters she used, and what kind of dueling style she had!

"We'll see when we get back." Yubel told him with a tone that she wasn't going to have any of his objections. She did not see these generals as fit enough to be opponents. They may have won the war for them, but she could feel the distance and distrust, too. She didn't understand why they did not adore their king when he was the one responsible for uniting the kingdoms!

Thankfully, the sonic ducks got them to the kingdom soon before Judai spoke another word.

Yubel had the generals escorted to their bedrooms. However, the four of them wished to share a bedroom together. Jun changed that to two adjoining bedrooms, so one could be for Hermos and Critias and the other for her and Timaeus, and they could see each other faster that way.

Judai found the arrangement request to be interesting. "You four truly are inseparable! I believe we have those kind of bedrooms at the east wing of the castle!" He ordered the servant to escort them to that room. "I hope to see you for dinner." He told them, but they knew that invitation was for Jun personally. She just gave him a smile before walking off with her fellow knights.

When they were gone, and Austin was excused to return to his former duties, Yubel questioned Judai at his room, "You do realize that they don't like you, correct."

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't they like me?" He inquired with a happy tone as he undressed, so they he could get into more comfortable clothes for work.

"You obviously haven't noticed because of that Jun person. Judai, you need to realize that you are letting your grief effect how you feel about him. He is not princess Jun."

"I know that! I'm just interested in him because of his Ojama background!"

Yubel wasn't falling for that. "Don't lie to me! An idiotic reason like that is not enough! Your eyes change whenever you think of that general! And your eyes only ever revert to normal when you think of Princess Jun!" She hated that fact. She had done everything in her power to erase the existence of that princess from her best friend's mind, but even mental manipulation proved pointless.

"It does?" Judai was aware that his eyes would change whenever he thought of Princess Jun, but he didn't think they were effected to that degree for the knight. "I guess I just like this knight that much!"

"Judai!" Yubel snapped at him. "You cannot form a false relationship with one of the generals. It is your duty as the king to have everyone, besides myself, be at arms length. Providing special treatment under false pretense can shatter the fragile state of this kingdom! Do you understand the consequences of your make believe feelings?"

"They're not make believe!" Judai slammed his fist against the wall. His eyes glowed yellow. He controlled his rage to simply being irritated. Yubel was hurt by his tone. He inwardly sighed. He knew why Yubel acted this way. She was only trying to protect him. "I'm sorry, Yubel. I didn't mean to shout at you. Maybe...I am still grieving. This knight is not princess Jun, and I shouldn't treat him as anything more. As the king, I'm not allowed to unreasonably play favorites. All four of those generals deserve my attention for their hardships."

That was good to hear for his childhood friend. "I'm glad that you understand. Then I'll leave you to your work. I should check on Lady Asuka. You should truly consider on making her our queen. All of your other wives and their people agree since Lady Asuka shows to have a fair mind for all your people."

"If that's what the people wants, then let them have it. Our only job together is to make a child anyway." Judai was dismissive to the matter. He sat down at his table where the papers that needed signing was placed. It was faced to a window that gave him a good view of the beautiful backyard garden.

Yubel let him be.

When she was gone, Judai quickly went over to the spot on the floor that hid his chest under it. Yubel had wanted him to rid of the letters so he could move on, and had threatened to do it herself when she saw that they still existed. Judai made up a show of him burning them in front of her, but the real letters were hidden. Since Yubel floated instead of walked, she wasn't likely to ever discover the hiding place.

Judai opened the chest, and began reading the letters. He could finish his paperwork later. For now, he needed to have a fresh memory of who princess Jun was, so he can realize that the knight wasn't her.

._._._.

Jun stared out of the window to see the beautiful backyard garden. She saw that the inspiration of the garden was from her kingdom's own. She felt her legs desire to skip across its daffodils to bring her back to that happy childhood.

"We need to start planning." Critias reminded her. He stood at the edge of one of the beds while Timaeus and Hermos were seated on either of them. They all stared at the lovely yet sad display of their best friend being veiled by the rays of the sun. "Can you devise a plan to take down the Harsh Darkness?"

She answered with her business tone, "I have an idea, but I think asking the Light is what I should do. She knows the Harsh Darkness, and doesn't want it to take me away." She sat down next to Timaeus.

"Are ya sure about dat? She could be lying to you." Hermos pointed out.

Jun knew, but she reasoned, "She could, but we need to consider all options. For now, I want us to enjoy the kingdom and all it has to give before the ball that's still a month from now. We can take down the Harsh Darkness another day!" She lightened her tone, and stood up with determination! "It's always great to see a new place, and to try out all the news things it has to offer!"

The males felt that they should discuss further, but they knew that they needed to also consider Jun's happiness. The can take the planning one step at a time.

"Can we just leave?" Timaeus inquired.

"We can just tell one of the servants, and skedaddle! We are the guests here, and Judai's too busy to entertain us, so it's up to us to do it! Who's with me?!"

"I am!" Hermos rose up with just as much determination! "I heard the food here is delicious!"

"Just make sure that you have room for dinner." Critias reminded him.

"Yeah, but we all know that I'll have room when it's time!" He rubbed his tummy while licking his lips as he imagined all the delicious types of food that he could eat! His friends smiled at his goofiness.

They all agreed that they should enjoy the day, and the planning could wait tomorrow.

Of course, they knew it was better to not waltz in the city as knights since they could be intimidating, so they asked the servants for the common clothes. The helpers told them that they only had the fanciest of clothes throughout the Supreme King's nation, but were willing to buy them some clothes. However, Hermos asked for a spare of their clothes since it would be faster, and that they would be more comfortable with doing the shopping themselves.

When they were done putting on their disguises, they slipped away from the castle on their horses. They first went to the clothing store for the clothes that they could wear throughout the month.

Jun's eyes sparkled at a lovely commoner dresses, but Critias reminded her that she should dress as a male.

"Can't I just be a guy who likes wearing girl clothes?" Jun eyed the lovely black dress that looked far too lonely. "I don't care if I'm seen as a freak for just a month."

Timaeus suggested, "She could wear the dress when we go outside the castle, and she will wear her male clothes when he is nearby."

Critias sighed. "Fine. Hermos, can you get a scent on the king, so we can be alarmed if he is nearby?"

"I think the vibe he gives off is enough. I know he's our king n' all, but his dark aura is seriously something else! Even if he's not emitting any of it, it gives me goosebumps!" He shivered.

"I feel the same way." Jun confessed. "His aura is like something out of a suspenseful horror story."

"All the more reason to not fall in love with him again." Critias figured that he should get that out there.

Jun felt her chest falter a little bit. Timaeus saw her dejected expression and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright if you do, Jun."

"No it isn't." Critias rejected thoroughly. "We are in a battle against two powerful entities, and we don't even know if we can trust this king. We don't know if we can trust that Yubel guard of his either. He's no longer the childhood friend you know before, Jun. He became the Supreme King, and take it from someone who's seen how power can change a person. They don't make the best partners in a romantic relationship. You already have enough on your plate. You don't need to add more to it."

"As much as I hate to say this, Critias is right." Hermos said his side of this conversation. "But you already said that you ain't confessin' yurself so you n' de king wouldn't get together. It's best ta keep to dat plan."

"I know, but it's good to hear you guys say it, so it actually sounds like a good plan." Jun felt both relief and annoyance at herself. She should really just get over that part of the past since the future was far more important. Finding her resolution to move on strengthening, she took the black dress and purchased it.

After shopping, they walked around the city to check out its different stores, tourist sites, and try out its different foods. Hermos ate platefuls while the others ate was humanly possible for lunch.

The kingdom had various different sections of areas that held different cultures depending on which other kingdom they were closer to. While some areas looked poor but was rich with laughter, other areas were high tech and filled with random noises that it all merged into white noise to them.

They watched duels go on either by the streets or on televisions. They would watch only one duel occur, comment on it from afar, and either leave or stay to watch the next duels.

They spent hours doing this that they almost forgot that it was time to go back. They hurried to the castle, and put on their armor.

 _Song: How can I not love you? - Joy Enriquez_

They knew the dinner would be extravagant, but they didn't expect the dining hall to look like a restaurant meant for mainly women. The only men present was Judai, his prime minister and his guards.

Jun's eyes widened at the sight. He knew that Judai had a hundred wives, but to actually see them all together and looking absolutely beautiful in their fancy dresses and makeup, Jun felt her confidence falter and her heart clench.

She didn't show it on her face, but she felt her hand held. She saw that it was Timaeus' hand, and the man smiled at her. She looked to Critias and Hermos who smiled at her. Their eyes solely focused only on her, and the reflection of herself in all of them was beautiful.

Jun found herself silly for feeling that insecurity. She was not the most beautiful, but she was beautiful, and her best friends' opinions mattered the most. She smiled confidently back at them to reassure them that she was fine.

They took their seat at the rectangular head table. The king sat at the middle of it, and was beside a gorgeous honey colored eyed woman with long blond hair and a curvy body. Jun felt heart cheeks heat up and her heart beat a strange beat. She couldn't help the hearts that formed in her eyes.

Yubel sat at his other side. Edo sat next to the lovely blonde lady who held an air of grace and maturity.

Judai noticed them and gave all four of them a smile, but his eyes were focused on Jun. The generals gave him a polite smile.

Edo looked them over. "I take it that you four are the generals who call themselves the legendary knights. It's nice to finally meet you." He stood up and shook each of their hands. "I'm Edo Phoenix. Prime minister of this kingdom. Heard you took a bit of a tour around the place. Hope it was to your liking."

Jun lit up by the question. She was always in love with a diverse community. So she answered enthusiastically, "To my liking? It's amazing! There's so many sites to see, different cultures to learn about, and we saw many potential duelists around! I look forward to the days to come." Her polite smile brightened up.

Judai's eyes widened when he swore he saw Princess Jun's smile. His golden eyes shifting to brown for a second.

Edo just saw a pretty guy. "That so. Then maybe I could give you a personal tour to my favorite spots myself when I have the free time. For now, let's enjoy our dinner shall we. I don't usually come here to do that, but I had to see you for myself." He went back to his seat. "And I must say, you do look like a group I wouldn't want to mess with."

Timaeus and Hermos expressed their modesty while Critias and Jun remained stoic to the compliment.

Critias saw the king's reaction to Jun's smile, so he had her sit at the end of the table with him. Timaeus sat next to Yubel and Hermos took his sit next to him.

Yubel noticed, too, so she quickly stood up. "Since we are all here, it's time for the announcements." She had a blast of fire go up to the ceiling and create a harmless firework to grab all of their attention. "Wives of the Supreme King, I would like you all to meet the four generals who bravely led our armies against the other dimension that dared to challenge our king's right to rule, yet cowardly hide in the other world and denies entrance!"

The four generals stood up, and all the women were gushing over their handsomeness. They sat back down to let Yubel continue.

She then announced, "It's also no surprise that I tell you this today. Judai and Lady Asuka are already married, but from this day forward, she will become this kingdom's queen and birth the future heir! The public announcement and the ceremony will take place the day of the ball!"

Everyone applauded for them without an expression of surprise. Jun was happy for Judai. To have such a beautiful and obviously capable woman as his queen was the correct political move to take. She wouldn't be surprised if they did have romantic feelings for each other. As much as it hurt her heart to believe that, she knew that this coincidence was a sign for her to truly move on. Her resolution was set in stone.

Or so she thought until over an hour later where she was now walking down a hallway far from the dining room. She figured that she could lie that she got lost.

She hated herself for the fact that she wanted to have Judai in her arms. She just can't help herself for wanting to know what their relationship would've been like! They had such strong feelings that exuded from their letters, that there was a chance that they were meant for each other. Great universe, they were the creators of this world!

"Augh! Why can't I just get over this! It's a stupid childhood crush that developed over a piece of paper..." She reluctantly remembered herself sitting at her table that faced the window. Sunlight poured through it. She wasn't doing anything at the time since she was on break. Plus, it was around the time that she expected her Kuriboh to arrive during a sunny day. When it did, she always quickly opened the window to get the letter, and kissed the Kuriboh before having a servant take care of it. She would quickly sit back on her seat to hurriedly open the envelop that it would have tears. She would then unfold the piece of paper to happily read as if she was gaining a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The present Jun submerged herself in the faded, familiar happiness she once had before anguish gripped her heart. Softly she said, "Pieces of paper that I know was carefully written by him with passion, honesty, and...love." Her shoulders descended from the tension that was building up in them. She caught herself! "No! No! You need to stay strong and not do this! Critias, Timaeus and Hermos agrees that it's a good idea to not get involved! To not bring up the past! The evil bastards needs to be taken down first! People are being slaughtered or mind controlled! My stupid hormonal feelings shouldn't distract me from my goal!"

She knew that but couldn't help venting to no one in particular. She wasn't using names, so she was in the clear even if anyone heard her. "But why does his wife have to be so beautiful! Light hair, mature eyes, fair skin with even complexion, body with an ass and a rack, and a freakin' air of perfection! And she's fuckin' modest and smart! I'm beautiful, too, but if she's his type, then...I'm a complete turn off..."

She couldn't stop the flood of anguish in her chest, and the tears that streamed down her face. It became difficult to breathe, so she couldn't walk a step farther. The memories of those letters turning grey. "The only thing holding us together is nostalgia." She covered her face to not let anyone see her shameful expressions.

But then she was distracted by a bell-like, worried, "Kuri?"

"Kuriboh?" She called out. They still existed across the dimension since many of them were away from her kingdom's destruction. Timaeus even adopted one without knowing the origin of such a creature pure of heart.

She gasped when she saw that it was Winged Kuriboh. The true original among them all. "Winged Kuriboh! I haven't seen you in so long!" She embraced him tightly. The Kuriboh was also in tears! He immediately recognized his princess by the beautiful aura she possessed. She bought him up to speed about herself by placing a lit finger tip on the gap between his eyes. After he learned of what she had gone through, her motivations to live, and not wishing to reunite with Judai, Winged Kuriboh sadly looked up at her.

"Don't look at me like that, Winged Kuriboh. I still cherish him, but he's changed into a different person and fell in love with Lady Asuka. I can't just waltz in and wreck everything no matter how tempting it is. Or worse, he might realize that his feelings for me was just grief and nostalgia getting to him."

Winged Kuriboh immediately correct this by letting Jun know that Judai was not in love with Lady Asuka! Making her queen was entirely a political decision that Judai didn't care about at all! He was very much still in love with her that he still reads all of her letters, and grieves for her! He's even suspecting her of being the princess or wants to recreate that connection through her!

"And that's where I prove my point. Nostalgia and grief can fool people into thinking they're in love. If he wants to prove that he loves me now, then he needs to fall for this version of me. Never knowing that I am her. Can't we let it go, Winged Kuriboh. I don't even deserve him after choosing to let him suffer like this for my own selfish reasons. I know he'll forgive me instantly, but that idiot needs better people than me by his side. You're one of them." She smiled lovingly at her own duel monster that was created from her pure love for the king. "To prove even more of my terribleness, I'm going to need you to keep this a secret from him."

"Kuriii..." Winged Kuriboh reluctantly promised to keep the secret.

Jun felt guilty, but she knew that he understood her. She looked out of the window to see that there was a full moon tonight. She was to see The Light soon, and dance for her. She wanted to dance for someone she loved.

Thus, she offered, "To show my appreciation, how about a dance?" She took his little green paws in her fingertips. She doubted that anyone would see her other than the guards since everyone looked engaged in their conversations back at the dining room.

She hummed a lovely tune for Winged Kuriboh. She swayed across the hallway with him who looked confused and unsure, but after she established a rhythm for him to follow, they danced with ease, and went with the flow as her humming died down.

Jun closed her eyes as the two danced. The girl felt herself dance on clouds again under the night sky with the moon as her spotlight, and the stars and the darkness as her audience. She soon found themselves in a dark living room with sheets over the furniture. She let go of Winged Kuriboh to freely express her gratitude and love. whilst also exposing the rainbows of her light. She felt strangely liberated as she danced, that her senses felt drunken. She could barely care to contain herself from creating the aurora in the sky. Winged Kuriboh saw this, and tried to stop her, but he was taken into her arms and was trapped in the dance. He heard her whisper softly, "Judai."

At the dining room, Judai heard the whisper of his name, and felt his heart feel better. Almost like he had been drugged by euphoria, but his senses were clear.

The women caught the aurora from the window, and were in love with its mysterious occurrence.

Hermos immediately left since he was the only one who could easily track her down.

Asuka looked up at the lights, and commented, "It's strange of how they appear randomly. Not even our best scientists or sorcerers can explain why this happens without evidence. What do you think, Ki-" She turned her head to look at her husband, but he was nowhere to be found. Yubel was also surprised by the sudden disappearance.

Hermos was tracking Jun's scent, but then he stopped when he noticed a chill in the air. He looked over his shoulder to see the Supreme King following him.

Judai explained himself, "Are you looking for Jun? He must have gotten lost, so I thought it was best that we both looked for him."

"That's...gracious of you, my king, but I reassure you that I got it covered. I may be human, but I have a strong sense of smell and hearing compared to the average human being, so I think its best that you return back to the dining room. They must be worried about you for suddenly following me."

"I don't need permission to go wherever I please, and I only wish to help." Judai sounded polite but also insistent.

Hermos knew better than to argue, so they continued on, but it was short because Jun met them halfway across a hall with Winged Kuriboh in her arms. They were both visibly shocked. "Is something wrong?" She asked innocently.

Hermos looked at her and then looked at the aurora while the king answered, "We though that you must have gotten lost since you've been gone for quite awhile, but I see that you were only distracted by my most cherished duel monster, Winged Kuriboh."

Jun nodded with a genuinely happy smile aimed at the king. Judai felt his heat throb painfully. She told him, "What can I say? I can't resist someone as chivalrous as him. He asked me out on a date tomorrow. Is that alright with you, my king?"

The men were taken aback by this. Judai looked betrayed for a second before he smiled. "Not at all." His eyes looked down at the Winged Kuriboh who blinked innocently. "Then he should rest for your date tomorrow. I'll take him from here."

"But I would love to have him sleep with me for tonight! We have to make plans, of course!"

Judai now forced his smile. "Sure. I don't see the harm in that if Winged Kuriboh wants to." He looked at his long time best friend who still blinked at him innocently. "Do you?"

"Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh spoke happily.

"Alright then. Don't get wild little buddy." He joked. Jun and him happily looked at each other. Two different yet connected miseries behind them. "Everyone is waiting for us at the dining room. We should get back."

"I'm actually tired, so Winged Kuriboh and I will retire early."

Hermos knew that meant that she was ready for the meeting. "Me too. It's been a while since we partied at a fancy place like this, huh, Jun. I'll tell Timaeus and Critias."

"Good night." She went to her room, and waited there until her best friends arrived.

When they did, Critias questioned, "Is there a reason that Winged Kuriboh is present?"

Jun answered, "He knew exactly who I was when he saw me because I created him. He's the original Kuriboh."

Timaeus' jaw dropped. "You created the kuribohs!" His own Kuriboh appeared with a surprised expression. He was reproduced after the destruction.

"Technically I created this Kuriboh and it asexually multiplied. I gave him wings to make it easier to point him out. We used him and the other Kuribohs to secretly send the letters between Judai and I." She sadly gave her winged Kuriboh a smile. "I'm sorry to tell you that the letters you worked so hard to send to me were all destroyed."

"Kuriii." He hugged her to show that he didn't mind at all. He was simply glad that she was alive.

"That's sweet, but can we trust him to keep this a secret from the Supreme King, even when there's a chance that you are in danger?" Critias critically questioned. "From what we're bound to pull, we need to make sure that he doesn't inform the Supreme King."

Kuriboh reassured him that he will not turn to Judai, even if he suspects that things were going south for them. However, he wanted a explanation for not including the king when he was powerful. He witnessed many times of his own master's power.

Jun told him, "The Light is Judai's enemy. The Harsh Darkness is mine. And...The Light is my ally against it."

"KURI?!" Winged Kuriboh was absolutely baffled by this!

His creator quickly explained, "I know that this is an act of betrayal, but I've been using her help to protect him and his nation from her!"

Winged Kuriboh gave her a judging curt tone, "Kuri?"

"Don't give me that look! The Light and Judai will have their fight when Judai reaches the peak of his powers!"

"He hasn't?" Timaeus found that interesting. "Is he the same as you?"

The reincarnated speck of light explained, "Yes. Except he doesn't reach his maturity until the age of thirty. By then his powers may be equal or stronger than the Light, and since even if this drip of light is rid of, in another thousand years, the Light will return with another grand scheme to take him out."

"When you explain it like that, all of this seem pointless." Critias commented.

"Hey, it's not pointless." Hermos argued, "It's not different from war or life. There's always assholes trying to destroy people's lives and happiness like yur dad. What you two went through is similar ta now. Yur dad was destroying people n' you, n' we couldn't stop that unless we played by de rules! N' guess what! We won! N' you're here, n' almost every moment with you was worth the fight that might blow up in our faces someday." He looked upon the purple-eyed blond with a benevolent love in his eyes.

Critias returned the expression with a smirk. "Almost every moment?"

"You know de ones." Hermos somewhat joked as he gave his lover a sweet kiss.

Jun moved the subject back to her, "So yeah, the fight may be continuous, but can't have the good without the bad, and the Light is the bad to the Supreme King's good. If he wants it to stop, then he'll have to figure that out on his own. But for the Harsh Darkness, I want him obliterated from this world I created, and seal the cracks that are letting him in! No one is stealing me to create an even worse universe! And that's saying something because this universe is already be pretty fucked up, y'know."

"It amuses me that you would badmouth the world you created." Timaeus said.

"A world that I gave free will, and that free will went to my first child who created the humans by doing the same thing except it was a suicide from the loneliness, while mine was permissible murder, and...You see where I'm going with this now." She made her point. "It's not perfect, but I wouldn't have met all of you, and that's a good enough reason to continue to fight. So let's get what we need to know." She removed her armor and shirt to reveal the tattoo to the moon that still shined through the aurora.

The Light appeared beside her. Winged Kuriboh's hair stuck out as if he was zapped, and Timaeus' Kuriboh disappeared. The woman was visibly surprised by the sight of people in the room with them. It wasn't hard for her to figure out why.

The three men in the room were both under and overwhelmed by the Light's presence in a normal human body with no terrifying aura. It unnerved them.

When she spoke, it sounded too casual for their tastes. "So you finally decided to make a team to take down the Harsh Darkness." She said as if she foresaw this event. Her arms crossed and a satisfied glint was in her eyes. "You're wasting your time, my beautiful daughter. Dealing with that guy is like dealing with the wind. You can't destroy him. Only make a barricade."

"Except the wind is needed." Critias pointed out. Not showing a hint of fear. "Without the wind we can't breathe or have the waves that moves a boat. This Harsh Darkness is a parasite, which should be eradicated from existence. If species can go extinct, then there should be a way for the Harsh Darkness."

"What lovely fangs you have." The Light teased. "I guess you can say there is, and that's for me to go all out on him, but that would create an explosion that's tremendously stronger than the big bang. What happens afterwards is unknown except for one fact that all of this will be destroyed. The same goes for the Gentle Darkness."

"Wait," Hermos scratched his chin with a hopeless thinking expression. "Now that I think about it, I get that you are actually a huge white light outside of this universe, but are you the same size as the Harsh Darkness? Is the Gentle Darkness the same?"

"Oh how cuuuuuuute!" The Light glomped the golden eyed soldier. "You're just adorable! I could just- AH!" She was harshly detached by Critias, and thrown to the floor. She looked up with an insane look in her eyes, which was matched with Crtias' murderous glare.

 _ **"Get your filthy, psychotic hands off of him."** _ An unspoken threat hung in the air.

Everyone was silent.

"Pffbt!"

Everyone looked to the source of the disruption of the mood. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"HUAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Jun was laughing? With the Light who laughed second?

Their own friend covered her mouth to stop, and then wen she could speak, she told them, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, but you just called her psychotic, ad that was funny."

"And being called psychotic is just amusing!" The crazy woman laughed harder, and that made Jun laugh.

The scene was just...insane.

Then the laughter died down, and the Light answered Hermos' question, "I'm not at all the same size. I'm bigger than the two, but you still don't pour water on boiling oil or it'll explode."

"So our only option is to push out the Harsh Darkness and create a barricade around our universe. Is that possible?"

"Of course it is! My perfect daughter created this amazing world!" She hugged Jun, and wasn't shoved away. Winged Kuriboh didn't like this, so got in between the two, and started yelling at the humanoid entity that she didn't deserve any affection!

The Light ignored him. "There is a way to build that barricade, but you won't like the answer."

"I'll have to die, right." Jun figured since everything seemed to be solved through death for her.

"That's actually plan B." The Light wagged a finger, and then have it create three orbs that formed a triangle. One was entirely made of light, the other was entirely made of darkness, and the one on top of both was made of a darkness with a swirl of light within.

The woman turned into a little girl, and explained, "You see. I'm capable of 'dripping' in if I am able to latch myself onto a piece of my daughter's light that comes close every once in a while, and that was how I created my white hole." She create a white wormhole in the black and white orb. "I can throw white lights around the place, but only every half a hundred years or more, and I can only move a very tiny bit every thousand years! Doesn't that sound frigid?!"

She grinned at her child with wide, emotionless eyes. Jun did nothing about it, so she continued, "How the harsh Darkness comes in is through piercing through the space." She had the dark orb have a spike that cracked through the white and black orb. "And then using the stars like a pin ball game to get to his location."

"Does this happen in other parallel universes?" Critias inquired. "Even if we do succeed in this one, is there a chance that it's for nothing in the other."

"Wow, you are smart! Marry me!" She tried to glomp him, but he slammed her skull into the floor with the ankle of her foot.

She teleported next to Jun without an injury in sight. "To answer your question, it's a no. Jun here is the only one out of the many Juns in the other parallel universes who is the true speck of Light. While the Harsh Darkness and I do exist in many of these parallel universe, we all share one mind! Which explains my insanity, and wish to commit destruction!" She suddenly held Jun by the sleeves, and cried out, "BECAUSE WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

"Like many versions of me will answer, 'you did this to yourself'."

Timaeus pointed out. "So even if we do succeed in one universe, the one with the real speck of Light that can create a universe, may have the disadvantage because of that."

"That's nothing to worry about since the information is all jumbled in our brains! Maybe you already succeeded in one universe, but it's not at all clear since evERY WORD, eVERY ACTION, AND EVERY COLOR is just crushing into our brains, that EVEN NOW IS NOT SO CLEAR TO ME!" She ran her head to the wall and kept slamming it, until she stopped, took a breath, and then faced them with a calmed expression, "So no worries!"

"Alright..." Hermos felt a little afraid to talk because he was afraid that he'd be pummeled like that wall, and he likes his bones to not be broken. "Then what is your Plan A."

"This! Jun show them the card!"

"Card?" The three men and the Winged Kuriboh looked to Jun.

Jun put two of her hands on her chest, and then pulled them away for a card to be extracted. She explained, "This is the Super De-fusion card. It can separate anyone or anything to impossible extents."

"How do you know that? Have you used it before?" Timaeus inquired.

"I did against her." Jun pointed at the Light. "Out of revenge for my kingdom, I separated this woman from connecting to me."

"And that's why I can't see her or know what she's doing at all. And if I can't do that, then committing chaos is no fun. As surprising as this will sound, I've actually been a good girl, and an innocent bystander. Only playing around!"

"Right, and I'm the candy king." Critias sarcastically remarked. "I'm going on a limb here to say that you didn't separate this waste of space from this universe is because you weren't strong enough. How about now?"

"Still getting stronger!" The Light replied for her. "Like she might've told her, she isn't at her full potential until her twenty-sixth birthday!"

"Then that means that Jun can remove you n' de Harsh Darkness by herself. We don't actually need dat Supreme King guy at all." Hermos pointed out.

"Uhm..." Jun looked down at the floor. "I don't plans on using my card on her."

"WHAT?!"

"KURI?!"

"HA hA! That's true!" The Light hugged Jun again, and Winged Kuriboh was too shocked to stop her.

"I know it looks bad, but this is not nepotism. The Light is useful to me."

"Yeah, and when her White Hole is big enough, she's not going to destroy us all. Are you sure that you're not mind controlled!" Critias spat out.

"I'm not!" Jun declared. "Like we've all agreed, Judai will decide her fate!"

"So this is for him!"

"No it's not! I know the Light can't be trusted, but she protected me from the darkness kidnapping me, and keeping me like some plant that he needs to water every once in a while until I'm mature enough for the picking!"

"So this is because of a favor?! How do we not know that they are not working together?! Fooling you along the way?!"

"I know because she's controlling him, and it's killing her! I can feel the universe, The White hole is not getting any bigger, because she's taking damage from him! The Harsh Darkness wouldn't try to destroy the Kingdoms I don't want destroyed because she asked him to, but because she's preventing him!"

Critias was silent. The two of them were standing in front of each other.

"So wait...The Light isn't a bad guy?" Hermos was confused.

"Oh no! I am! I'm too crazy and dangerous for this world! I'm stopping the Harsh Darkness, but I'm also committing wars and stuff! Well, not committing! More like giving the right people the confidence to commit them! So I guess the right way to put it is that I'm like a politician! Keeping things together, but also tearing things apart for my own gain!"

"Shut up!" Jun yelled at her, and she did with a happy smile. Jun then explained to Critias, "I might get the Harsh Darkness out by my card, but if it doesn't work or he finds another way in, I might need her help."

"So you're willing to let her run wild and destroying people's lives because she helped you?" Critias critically questioned this.

"It is controversial, but like we agreed, the Harsh Darkness is my business, and the Light is Judai's business."

"We did agree to that." Timaeus supported her. "It's been done in war before where two rival countries create a pact in order to rid of their common enemy. But in our case, Jun doesn't have to support the Light against the Supreme King. Even if this pact is complicated, we need to consider all our options since the Harsh Darkness is a formidable foe."

Critias still glared at Jun who glared right back at him. Both of them stubborn, but Critias knew when to yield.

Jun also did, too. She held his arm with one of her hands."I know that you were just concerned about me, but I reassure you that I know what I'm doing. Trust me. If there was another way I could do this without her help, I'd love to. But even with Judai's help, he doesn't reach the potential of his powers the same time I do."

"...I know, but from now on, please never meet with her unless one of us is around."

Jun gave him a smirking smile. "Since you said please, I promise."

"Since we got dat outta the way," Hermos paraphrased the plan, "Plan A is basically to wait for six years before she can face the Darkness. For now, we hafta rely on you," He referred to the Light, "to keep him away until then."

"Looks like it!" The Light grinned. She looked out the window to see that the aurora was still in the sky. "And I guess I don't need a dance tonight."

"Why is it still up there?" Jun asked. "Every time I stopped dancing, the lights would disappear."

"It's simple! Judai is in this castle, and your hearts connected! If I didn't love you so much, I'd destroy it! But I guess watching at least Judai from afar, I'll see the drama from afar!"

Just then, the aurora disappeared. Jun told her parent, "We won't be anything more than friends. Since I have time before I face the darkness, I decided that I owe Judai closure for my pretend death without revealing who I am."

Kuriboh didn't like the plan. He tried to convince her to just tell him the truth.

Jun shook her head. "I know I'm being a coward, but I don't want him to forgive me or complicate his life. After the ball, I won't return here."

._._._.

Judai watched the aurora disappear from his room. He retired from the dinner after Hermos and the other generals left. He asked one of his guards to get a spy to go to their rooms.

The spy came back, and apologized first since she wasn't able to get anything due to a force field that blurred and mute the events from her.

"They must have been having a secret meeting, and were taking serious precautions just in case an enemy within the castle was listening." The ninja speculated.

Judai was greatly disappointed, but he should've expected this level of caution from his generals who defeated another dimension. "Thank you. You may leave."

The ninja bowed, and left.

Judai looked back up at the sky, and the sight of the full moon didn't sting his eyes.

Yubel entered them room after knocking on the door. "Judai. Is there a reason that you left early?"

"I had to watch the aurora from here. I know where it comes from. It's from Princess Jun, Yubel!" Judai's golden eyes turned brown, but were brighter than they ever had been the last six years. "It's from her! I know it is! I felt our hearts connect like it did thirteen years ago! She out there and I have a hunch of where she is!"

She wanted to say something, but she knew that nothing she said could deter Judai from this crazy idea. But she could _do_ something about it.

 _Song: Soulmates by Natasha Bedingfield_

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

._._._.

A/N: I was honestly hoping to just do Chazz's incarnation Jun's story in two chapters, but I should've known that laying down history would've been longer. Hopefully the next chapter will be the last because I want to get to the main story.

So yeah, Jun was actually a big troublemaker (crazy bitch) back at the academy who does things for both good and bad intentions. Willing to go the distance despite the consequences for the people she loves and the people she deemed worth punishing. Of course, her punishments are not lethal.

She's the girl who spices things up for the three male knights, and pushes them to their very best under stressful or comedic situations.

You just met Lady Asuka who is Alexis's incarnation, and is one of Judai's many wives, but will soon become his queen!


	5. Chapter 5

Jun woke up feeling a great discomfort on her back. It felt like someone was trying to bent her spine without breaking it. She knew that she had no good excuse anymore to not tell Judai the truth, but she was too scared of his reaction.

"Y'know, datin' de king wouldn't be so bad." Hermos told her during breakfast. They were having it at a restaurant since they didn't feel like eating with the king.

"Hermos. Say another word, and you'll lose what classifies you as a man." Critias threatened.

"Hermos was only trying to ease the situation with Jun since it's obviously troubling her." Timaeus defended him.

"She'll get over it when she's away from this place." The tallest of the generals affirmed confidently. "In fact, let's leave for the first few weeks."

"Thanks for your concern, Critias, but I already decided to first help Judai finally find closure with my pretend death!"

"Are you sure that you should do it?" Timaeus held her hand to show his concern. "You may only make yourself feel worse since you are technically helping him believe a greater lie."

Jun understood, but she need this. "I know, but it has to be me! I need to know personally that he moved on!"

"But don't you and Winged Kuriboh have a date today?" Hermos reminded her.

"Yes! But I told Winged Kuriboh that we're canceling, and he's actually going to be my winged man of apology for this! He'll tell me when Judai's available, and I'll make my move! For now, you two!" She looked straight at Hermos and Critias. "Need to go on a date! We've been stuck in a war for nearly over a year, so you two deserve some one-on-one good times! Timaeus, I heard Black Magician girl's in the city from one of the girls! Here's her address and the places she likes to go to!" She passed him a piece of paper.

"How did you get these?"

"Yesterday while we were at that restaurant, and I needed to use the restroom. I actually went there because I saw the magician's Valkyria, and it's well known that she's best friends with the Dark Magician girl, so we talked in the bathroom."

"Talked or cornered?" Hermos questioned with an amused tone.

" **Talked**." She stressed, and continued cheerily, "And she told me that Dark Magician girl had actually been thinking about you since our Academy's knight prom-"

"Which you nearly ruined because of your red paint scheme?" Critias reminded her.

"It was supposed to be dark purple! And don't give me that look! You thought that what I did to the Cook's Bitch of a date was hilarious! Anyway, Timaeus, I better hear that the Dark Magician girl at least saw you today, or I will do what Critias threatened to do earlier! Do I make myself clear?" She gave him a very sweet smile.

Hermos pointed out jokingly, "I'm startin' ta see where ya get yur craziness from."

"The Dark-End Queen aka my own mother was lazy, but it wasn't hard for her to push the right buttons. Now finish your breakfast, and get to your dates! I need to go!" She left her money for the check, and marched out of the place.

Her best friends watched that walking disaster go.

"Y'know dat when she's more chirpier than usual, it means she's not thinkin' this through right?" Hermos let them know.

The two nodded in agreement.

"Should we stop her?" Timaeus inquired. "You do remember that there was a reason why in the academy that the Chancellor wanted at least one of us to always be with her."

Critias answered, "I actually want the Jun curse to take effect. It may go as far as to cancel our invitation to the ball."

"Or get us executed." Hermos added. "Hopefully, they know by her records of what happens when one of us is not around."

The three of them looked at the door that she exited from.

Timaeus stood up, "I should-"

"No." The lovers rejected simultaneously. They were both curious to know what would happen with Jun on the loose. It would be interesting to check on...

Jun was walking without a care in the world in the castle. She was told that Judai would be busy during a meeting with his men over politics, so she spent her time walking along the garden with Winged Kuriboh. Jun told him stories about her life after the destruction of the kingdom. Kuriboh just knew the basics, so he was interested in knowing the details.

After a few hours, Jun was still walking along the garden. She hadn't been able to enjoy walking through them for a long while. She picked out a white dandelion. "You know you could make a wish after you think really hard of what you want, and then blow on it! I know exactly what I want to wish for!"

"And what would that be?" Judai spoke from behind her, which sent goosebumps throughout her body.

Dread dropped in her stomach now that she finally thought what she was doing through, and realized that she was the worse person on the planet! Timaeus was right! This was fraud!

Her false confidence forced her to turn around and take action, but her fear chained her brain, and it all caused a whirlwind mix up inside her that she blurted out, "I love you!"

Judai was aghast by the sudden confession.

Jun blurted out again, "uuuuur garden! I definitely want to have a garden someday like this! But I ain't a gardener and I ain't got hoes!...And other tools! I can kill an army from the sky, and Jun Manjoume comes crashing down like a lightning bolt! So why are you here! Aren't you busy! Where's your keeper? I mean guardian! I mean Yubel! Wow, I must've been under the sun for too long, that I think that Jun Manjoume needs a drink and you should get back to your work!'

Judai was really amused now. "I'm on break actually."

"What?! Don't be lazy! Get back to work! Bye!" She walked away with Winged Kuriboh who gave the king a shrug. She then remembered her dandelion. She wished really hard to make the right moves next, but before she blew, the king turned her around, and she blew the seeds right into one of his eyes!

"AUGH!" The man covered them in pain!

"OH SHIT! OH SHIT! I'm sorry! Let's get some water! I saw a hose nearby! There it is!" She picked up the hose that was abnormally big.

Judai was able to look with his other eye, and he shouted, "Wait! No! That's the-"

SPLAT!

Jun's jaw dropped when fertilizer jet out of the hose. She stopped it and looked at where the hose was connected to, and saw a storage with the word fertilizer on it, but it was slightly covered by a tree branch!

"WHAT THE FUCK! Why do you have a huge ass hose connected to a fertilizer storage! Plants do not eat this much shit!"

"Kuri! Kuri!" Kuriboh demanded that she took him to a shower immediately!

"Got it! Shower! Shower!" She approached him, nearly threw up by the smell, threw him over his shoulder, and ran to the nearest shower. She accidentally bumped his head and legs against a few walls before finally reaching the room, stripping the man off, and then pushing him into the shower!

But that was a mistake since she slipped and they both got caught by the shower curtain and fell inside! They were tangled, but Jun was able to take out her dagger to free them! She freed herself, and rose her blade to free the king, but then, "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING HERE?!" Yubel screeched as she came in, and froze when she saw the position that Judai and her were in.

Jun froze stupidly, and then tried to grin innocently. "This is not what it looks like!"

._._._.

At the middle of a forest where Jun bought her best friends to after escaping from the dungeon, she explained what happened and the men were very silent as she did.

"So you accidentally injured the king...with dandelions...and fertilizer." Critias said and got confirmation.

"N' ya tried ta help him...but fucked up." Hermos said and got confirmation.

"Thus you were mistakenly seen trying to murder him...in a shower room...in his own castle." Timaeus said and got confirmation.

The three remained silent again, and then BURST OUT LAUGHING!

Jun crossed her arms with a tight pissed expression. "Don't laugh because this is your fault! You knew I was a walking cyclone the moment I walked out of that restaurant, and you didn't have the nerve to stop me! Now, they think that we are trying to assassinate the king!"

"I'm sure the Supreme King would explain everything." Timaeus reassured her.

But Jun was not reassured! "It might have been fourteen years since I've met Yubel, but I spent a week of her, and bitches don't change! And I mean a caring bitch which means she is Judai's keeper and like every responsible pet owner, they are out for blood when someone dares hurt their pookie pie! We might not be looking at executions but assassinations are possible! We gotta leave!"

"Agreed." Critias was on board.

"I thought you planned on helping him get over you." Hermos didn't think Jun was the quitting type for this situation.

"Trust me. After what I did, he'd get over me and the princess. Maybe he had a damn anagnorisis when I hosed shit all over his ass like that lake monster in that spirit movie! Shit spewing everywhere, but there's no gold in the end! Blood is the price to pay!"

"Jun, you're overreacting." Critias pointed out for her. "The Supreme King has the executive power of this city, and he is very fond of you. To lose you will only make him re-experience losing Princess Jun, and if that Yubel actually cares for him, she wouldn't allow that."

That was true, but she still felt doubt weighing on her back. "I guess this is the moment where I actually like Judai's forgiving mood."

For the mean time, she needed a better game plan!

._._._.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"This isn't funny, Judai! That general attempted to murder you! Otherwise, why would he escape from the dungeon if he was innocent!" Yubel yelled at him at his room where the doctor had taken care of his eye after he was properly cleaned. He looked perfectly fine, but was advised to stay in bed.

The king held back his laughter to answer, "Because he knows that you would've had the guards track down the other generals and throw them in jail with him. They can't risk being humiliated."

"Not as humiliating as covering you with fertilizer." She sarcastically remarked.

"Kheheheh." The king cutely giggled. His brown eyes glimmering. "That was an accident. Why is the hose that big anyway?" He recollected to Jun's question earlier.

Yubel ignored it since she didn't know herself. But she saw an opportunity. "We can't let what he did go unpunished. You were seen made a fool of in front of your own men! I think the best course of action is to cancel their invitations to the ball, and have them go packing. We can lie to our guests that they couldn't come since they had an important mission to do."

"Or Jun could act as a replacement for Austin as my guard until the ball!"

"What?! No! Judai, I thought we talked about this! This Jun is not Princess Jun!"

"I know..." A slight ache was on his chest, and a part of him still believed that this Jun could be Princess Jun, but that wasn't what he was aiming for right now. "But I never had this much fun in such a long time. Almost felt as exciting as dueling! I bet dueling him would be just as exciting." He sighed in satisfaction. Eyes closed blissfully that he missed the hurt expression on Yubel's face.

She stoned her emotions to appear fine when he opened them. "Still. You need to-"

"I already made up my mind, Yubel. Please inform Austin. I'll go inform Jun when I find him." He got off from the bed.

"You're not planning to go out into the city, are you?"

"No. I'm not. I wouldn't do something that stupid."

Almost half an hour later, Judai was slipping away from his castle in a disguise as a knight guard on a horse. He wanted to see Jun again but without being the king, and this looked like the perfect opportunity!

._._._.

The generals agreed that putting on disguises and splitting up was their best option to do to remain within the city and not get caught by the guards. Jun used her powers to switch Hermos' and Critias' hair color, and then switch Critias' and Timaeus' eye color. She dimmed down Hermos' eye color to hazel.

Then she stared really hard at Timaeus' hairstyle. "It's a true shame if I kill the rare starfish...So I will give you elf ears!" With a poof, Timaeus felt his hearing change dramatically.

Jun then changed their outfits. Crtias was dressed like a business man from the high tech area of the city. Hermos was dressed like a casual citizen from the middle class, and Timaeus was dressed in a school uniform.

"Is there a reason why I'm dressed like a student?" The short one questioned, and Jun just pointed at a bunch of middle schoolers who happened to be passing nearby the forest that they were hiding at. Timaeus immediately saw that he was just as tall as them.

Hermos and Critias burst out laughing! Timaeus blushed, and glared at the woman.

Jun quickly apologized, "I'm sorry! But it's the only thing I could think of, and we are in the middle of hiding ourselves until it's safe to return!"

That was not a good excuse, but he was willing to settle for a price, of course. "I guess I have no choice. I guess it's better than sending me to the cookie factory with the other elves." He somewhat joked.

And that humor was good enough for Jun! "That's the spirit!"

"But you should be dressed as one of those upper class women at the country section of this city." Timaeus swiftly suggested with an authoritative tone.

"What?! I'm not going to dress like those women!"

"But you fit so well with your stunning personality! It'd be a shame if you chose a disguise that did not." The now purple eyed elf smirking triumphantly at her. Hermos and Critias were smirking, too.

It's only fair.

Jun hated them, but she did as they wanted, and dressed herself in a traditional white and creme southern ball gown. It had the off-the-shoulder sleeves, tight corset, multi-layered skirt, and the flower decorated sun hat. She held her pretty umbrella with her gloved hands. Her hair was tied up with a waterfall of curls down her back, and the pale part of her complexion was moved under her clothes. It would've been a dead give away if she walked away with her unique complexion.

So now she stood as a proper brown woman of the upper class. Jun used to love dressing as a female when she was the princess, but she stuck to wearing pants for years that wearing a dress was strange and uncomfortable for her.

"There! Happy! I'm all dolled up now!" Jun glared at them softly since she also felt kind of embarrassed. She hadn't felt like a girl either in those last few years.

"It's very fitting of you." Timaeus commented. "You deserve to be dolled up every once in a while, but don't let any bachelors snatch you."

"If they do, they'll have to answer to me." Critias let the threat hang in the air.

Hermos told her, "If you run into any trouble, don't hesitate to call for us if it gets out of hand. Okay?"

"Yes. Yes. I know, and you, too. Be safe! I'll try not to commit too much trouble this time! I swear!" She walked away on her heels.

"We better plan an escape route throughout the city if we want to get out of here alive." Critias already had several of them planned in his head.

Jun walked along the street for only a half an hour and she was already catcalled three times by several different strangers. She either retaliated against them, or acted like the storm of destruction that she was. She once threw her shoe at the car driver that led to the cat caller inside the vehicle to lose his freedom to stand.

She slipped away from being caught by the incident by magically getting her shoe back as she walked away. She caught a mugging happening at different alleyways, and she took care of them by either beating the crap out of them or dueling them to submission, and also giving some of them some life lessons during or after the fight to change their ways.

She learned that getting through hard heads is mostly accomplished by a beating since that seemed to be the way they've been made to learn. She'd sit and talk or just listen to them. She also gave some of them money to ease their frustrations in life, and gave suggestions on what they should buy instead of hitting the bar or the store for a quick relief.

Judai was searching for Jun, and soon realized after some time that he was lost. He got away pretending to be a guard by revealing himself to the guards and ordering them to not snitch on him! Especially to Yubel! Being the king really had its perks!

When he thought about giving up, Winged Kuriboh came as his angel, and told him that he had been watching over him, so knew what he was doing. Winged Kuriboh told him of what disguise that Jun was wearing, and where she was. Judai quickly reached the alleyway where Jun should be. He was just about to walk in, but he heard her talking, and it sounded important.

Not wanting to impose, he hid behind a trashcan.

"Wow..." The man sitting beside her spoke. "It's the first time I felt like someone ever believed in me, and you don't sound so wishy washy or have any motives. I sorry if I wasted your time with telling you my backstory, lovely lady."

"You sure could've skipped telling me that bear fishing story."

"Hahahaha! Sorry, but I haven't had anyone willing to listen to that story for a long while, and it sure warms my heart that you were willing to go through it to make me feel better!"

"Whatever. Just next time, if you want to steal from someone, you better either be good at it or wise up and do something else! Here's an address for a place that can help you get started with getting a proper job, but you better go in with confidence in your abilities! You can definitely be something better than a shitty thief. And hey, maybe you'll get your dream come true, if you don't mind being an old man if that happens." She handed him a piece of paper. She had many of them in the hidden pockets of her dress.

"I hear ya! Thank you for everything! I hope that I'll get to meet a lovely lady like you again, but this time as someone better!"

"Better get to it then, and here's some cash to help you buy some decent clothes and food. Can't go in looking like that. Also be careful to not get robbed yourself. If you do, don't think it gives you a good excuse to not bother still trying. Now scram before I turn you into the guards." She handed him the money, and then turned away.

"Right! Again, thank you for everything! Bye!" The man ran off the opposite direction.

Jun then stopped where Judai was. She had noticed him approaching them, and saw him hide. Her hand was now on her hip and she frowned at him. She was not amused at being spied on. She cooled her panicked feelings to act cool, so she didn't cause chaos. "Really my king? Are you here for revenge or do you like being covered in filth?"

The king smirked happily knowing that Jun wasn't going to run away from him. He stood up, and joshed, "That depends. Are you going to throw me in there or let karma do it for you?"

Jun laughed dryly. "Ha. Ha. Alright, there's a dumpster over there. I'll give you a lift." She pulled him towards it.

"Hey, I'm just joking!"

"Then why are you here?" Jun inquired, looking like she was literally going to throw him in the dumpster. "I made an idiot of you earlier."

The king grinned to show his excitement but also hide his nervousness. They were finally having a conversation! "Yeah, but it's the first time in a long time I ever felt so alive! It was ridiculously painful and weird, but it was also a lot of fun! And what happened to the cool lightning bolts across your skin?"

"I just moved them." She had her pale skin tone go back to its original place. "I'm human, but I do have duel monster ancestors, but don't get all excited about it. The only thing I can do is shift the pale part of my skin to wherever I like and however I like on my body. The Lightning bolts are my trademark. Pretty cool, right." She proudly stood in a power pose.

"Absolutely! I wish I could look as awesome as you! I have pretty scary golden eyes and I am pretty good looking, but you have such a unique appearance. A lanky but powerful body, uneven yet beautiful skin colors, piercing yet somehow also soft grey eyes, and I bet if we dueled, I'll get to see more sides of you." Judai spoke with a smooth yet honest voice. His brown eyes gazing at Jun with admiration and love.

Jun felt her cheeks warmed by the genuine compliments, but then she remembered what Winged Kuriboh told her. She thought that this was a good opportunity. "Uhm...Are you sure it's me you're seeing?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Jun knew that this might crash and burn between them, but she had to push. "I mean that we only met yesterday, and just talked today, and you don't seem like the type at all to fall in love at first sight, but you're acting like you're in love with me. What I'm saying is that I can tell that you are looking at me, but at the same time you're not. I've experienced many things during my time at the academy and from being put into a war as a general instead of a soldier first right after. So trust me when I tell you that I can tell when someone looks at me as someone other than myself."

She stopped to let that sink in for Judai, and she hated herself when she saw how shocked he was as if he was caught. She kept telling herself that they weren't meant for each other, and only heartbreak and pain was ahead of them.

So she asked, "Who are you seeing, my king?"

Judai stared at her for a while. He saw the knight, but his eyes was seeing an image of Princess Jun over the knight, too. His golden eyes flickered in and out uncontrollably. He felt something akin to agony that was boiling his rage.

"Ju-King!" Jun cupped his face to get his attention. "I know who you see, and...I'm not...I'm not a princess. I never was. I'm not this princess Jun I've been told about." She felt like she signed the deal with the devil by uttering those lies.

Judai felt something snap in his heart. "You're lying." He spoke softly that Jun almost caught that. The man made it clear through his roar, "YOU'RE LYING!"

"You can't tell me who I am and who I am not." Jun projected an angry yet calming voice. A sea storm billowing, but providing a safe zone from within. "I've been told that you've been grieving, and just like I did with that man earlier, I'm willing to lend an ear to you."

"Did...Did Winged Kuriboh tell you this?" Judai restrained a growl to his tone. His fists trembling at his side, and his eyes shining a threatening gold.

"Don't turn this on him. King...Judai." Jun felt that speaking his name would level their status. She made this true when she held one of his fists in her hands, and poured out to him, "I hate to leave people suffering. I've suffered from discrimination for where I come from, my gender, my appearance, my choices in life, and whatever people will find fault with me. I'm a literal walking reject of many societies. But I never suffered more than when I grieved for the people I lost under my leadership. At their funerals, I am tortured by the tears of their loved ones, and they're like that because of me. Judai, I don't want to be the reason you're suffering, or having false hope."

Jun held back her tears, but when she saw Judai's golden eyes dimmed down, and they looked understanding, she couldn't hold them back. She knew she made her choice to make him grieve. She just didn't think it would haunt him like this.

"Talk to me please." She softly begged. Her motive being to both ease their pains, but to also ease her guilt, but not soothe her self hatred.

 _Song: Purple Rain - Prince_

The two of them went to a park's lake since it seemed to ease Judai to speak. He told Jun all about his visit to the Light and Darkness Kingdom, and his point of view of everything. The kingdom's festival of Life was faded in his memories, but he knew he had so much fun, felt different and great experiences, and met a variety of people. He wished he could go back. Jun silently wished for that, too.

He knew that he was only a child and didn't know love, but he was very fond of Princess Jun. He stressed that he never doubted that. She was charismatic, strange and mean, but beautiful and admirable. Even when she lost, she was still shining as bright as ever on the dueling field. However, the weirdest thing for him, who loved dueling like it was a religion, was that he was in love with her dancing more.

Jun figured that she should tell him that she coincidentally loved dancing, too, so the king wouldn't draw up suspicions if he ever caught her dancing. She lied that she saw a musical when she was young, and she wanted to be one of the dancers, but being a knight was her first dream.

She made him continue telling her his story, and he did. He told her about the letters exchanged between them, and how he took his English lessons seriously because of them. He really wanted to impress Princess Jun with his writing skills, but also remain honest. He still kept those letters written from her, but he had to hide them because Yubel wanted him to get rid of them so he could get over his grief, but the letters and Winged Kuriboh were all he had from the princess. He always read them to keep his idea of her fresh, and he saw parts of her in Jun.

At this point, Jun wished she had changed her name and changed every part of her to be unrecognizable as the princess, but that would be rewriting the influence that her people inspired in her. She knew that at some point in her life that she would meet Judai again, but she was hoping that fate would make it so they wouldn't have to have this talk. Instead, she was given six years. This was definitely karma in the works.

Jun excused the similarities as just a coincidence. Despite how big the universe was, variety could only go so far.

That was a reasonable answer, and Judai began to see the foolishness of trying to believe Jun was Princess Jun. She was her own person, and he shouldn't have insulted that.

At this point, she revealed that she was actually a female, and Critias made her lie because he feared a marriage might happen. Judai kid that he was right because before the destruction of the kingdom, Judai wrote a marriage proposal to Princess Jun, but Winged Kuriboh couldn't get it to her in time. Jun felt a stab to her heart from within her. She never thought his love went that far. She remembered joking about marrying him, and it turned out that he took it seriously. A part of Judai was relieved to know that she was loved, but now her hate turn into detest for hiding the truth. However, her cowardice and low self-esteem in her worthiness for the grown man kept her at bay from speaking it.

Judai then revealed of why he truly couldn't let her go. He confessed to what Pegasus had told him.

When she heard this, Jun's eyes widened, yet her pupils pinpointed. For the first time in her life, she wanted to murder one of her citizens, but that emotion quickly faded when logic kicked in and reasoned that Pegasus was only trying to help.

"You actually believe that because you confessed to wanting to marry her, that you doomed her?" Jun incredulously questioned.

Judai appeared forlorn with his brown eyes darkened and his body seemed lifeless and distant. "How else am I supposed to see it? Pegasus warned me not to marry her, but I did it anyway, and the Light of Destruction must've known about my feelings for her that she decided to destroy her and everyone she loved. I can never forgive myself!" His face scrunched up as he tried to resist the intense agony he felt inside. He's been scolded for doing so when he refused to get over his grief after a while.

The dark emotions that he had bottled inside felt like they were leaking through the tip and intoxicating him with depression, but they were swept away when a thunderous voice zapped through him.

"YOU IDIOT!" Jun couldn't help yelling. "IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT!"

Judai was shocked by her rudeness.

She punched his armor to conflict some pain, and yelled at him, "Are you seriously that STUPID?! Do you even understand how looking into the future works?! Well, I'm gonna tell ya! They come in vague, stupid ass images! I should know! I was given psychic powers by accident during a Magic Fair and everything I saw made NO FUCKIN' SENSE! Until the event actually happened n' everythin' did, but not what anyone would expect! Pegasus didn't know shit of what he was talkin' about! AAUGH!" She slammed her forehead against his own!

And then stood up and ordered, "Stand up!" Judai was too shocked by what was happening. "I said STAND UP!" She roared that Judai swore he felt his skeleton nearly pop out!

He quickly did. Jun got up in his face. "Now listen here and listen good because I'm gonna make you have a fuckin' anagnarosis and peripeteia after I lay down the TRUTH! Do you even know what those two terms mean?!"

"A-ah, yes?! I mean YES!" Judai tried to catch up with her vigor.

"Good then here's the lay down: The Light's been destroying whatever the fuck she wants! I should know! I met other kingdoms who've been fucked over by her! And as far as your marriage proposal goes, the destruction to the kingdom did not happen BECAUSE of your proposal, but WHEN you decided to do it! It's all fuckin' COINCIDENCE!"

"Coincidence..." Judai stood where he was with a completely dumbfounded expression. Everything Jun said...made sense. It made so much sense that he felt like such a fool. He still felt the pain of losing Jun, but he felt like something had been lifted off of him.

He still felt the chains of doubt trying to bring it back down on him, but he saw Jun's hand on his chest. He looked to her who smiled confidently at him. She concluded, "And if Princess Jun and I are the same, then I would tell you to finally stop being such an insufferable grieving idiot, and live happily for her! She gets absolutely nothing good out of you being like this! Stop hiding those letters and tell Yubel that it's no longer killing you to read them and you're over your hunt for her! Duel in her honor among the many others who deserve your acknowledgement! Fall in love with Lady Asuka!"

"Fall in love with Lady Asuka?" That caught the king off guard.

"Fuck yeah! She's hot! If she wasn't already married to you, I'd probably date her." Jun daydreamed about being on a love boat with the fair Lady Asuka. "Why wouldn't you fall for her?"

"I don't know. I just don't." The king answered half-heartedly.

"Well it can't be because of Princess Jun because she was seven when you last saw her, and fourteen when you wanted to marry her. You're a pedophile is she's in your fantasies." Jun knew that was mean to say, but she made a point. Consent Age laws had been passed.

Judai was shocked by being called a 'pedophile' for the first time in his life! "I don't think of her like that, and don't call me that, Jun! I'll admit that Asuka is an amazing duelist-"

"And lover?" Jun wanted to know. She didn't know what answer she wanted though because she still had feelings for Judai, and still felt guilty about this whole moment they're having, but the pervy side of her wanted to get to know this Lady Asuka.

"I guess." Judai answered dismissively.

Jun was shocked by this! "What'dya mean ya guess?! You have almost a hundred beautiful woman you can bang! What? You don't compare them?"

"No, and they were forced into a political marriage, so I sort of do it out of obligations. To be honest, I'm not into the whole sex thing."

Jun's jaw almost dropped, but then she honestly wasn't surprised. "If that's the case, then I would've rejected your marriage proposal if you actually made one."

"Because I'm not into sex?"

"Don't take it personally. It's just that I'm a very sexual creature, and I guess we could've made it work, but I'd like to have a husband who was into having sex with me as much as me."

"Well...maybe you could change my mind about it then." He proposed with a daring smirk, and everything went silent.

Jun immediately retracted from her feelings and the imaginations of the king naked when she remembered her goals. "That's sweet, but you don't want to get mixed with a girl like me."

"Because of what you did to me earlier? If it's that, I alrea-"

"It's more than that, my king." Jun went back to distancing themselves. "I can do much worse than that, and you'll only get hurt if I stay near you for too long." She warned him.

Judai didn't know what could happen, but he understood. He couldn't help chuckling sadly. "Heh. I feel like that should be my line."

"See! We are two different kinds of walking disasters that we won't cancel each other out when put together." She looked over at the sunset, and saw an escape route before they had a serious discussion about this. "We should really get back to the castle for dinner. I'll get the other generals. You should get back first or else Yubel might find suspect me of kidnapping." She joked, but believed that would be a definite reality.

Judai believed the same. "She probably would. Then, I should go, but first,"

Jun was a duelist who was trained since she was an infant to fight and react quickly to any given situation. She used those skills to good use to survive in the wild alone, and succeeded. She was trained by the academy and her three best friends to become even better, and used those skills to win a war against another dimension.

And yet for the life of her, she couldn't dodge Judai's lips from connecting to hers. And also for the life of her, she no longer had the strength that she honed in her well sculpted muscles to push him away. She had kissed different types of people, but she suffered an amnesia of them.

Instead she accepted the kiss, wrapped her strong arms around his neck, and submerged herself into the kiss as if it was the first one and only one that mattered. It was sweet, meaningful, and passionate. A kiss that felt like it practically defined the status of their future.

When Judai leaned away to breathe, he silently gasped when he saw tears pouring down Jun's face.

As incredible as the kiss was, it only made the situation worse. "I'm sorry. I can't do this. I'm the most terrible!" She whispered before running away.

 _Song: Ichinen Nikagetsu Hatsuka - Bright_

Judai was left completely baffled by her reaction. Yubel who found them after Jun helped Judai with his grieving heart was just as baffled as him, but for the fact that Judai kissed her. She took in deep gulps of air when something vile was rising in her chest.

Timaeus, Critias and Hermos saw this from afar. They soon found Jun crying at the forest that they were hiding at earlier. They bought her to a hotel room, and said nothing on what happened. They just took turns holding her in their arms, and making sure she ate dinner and drank water every now and then until she fell asleep with a bruised heart.

._._._.

The generals returned to the castle the next day, but during the time that Judai was busy. It would be awkward to meet during breakfast with the other women present.

Jun busied herself by dueling with the others at a duel arena within the castle. The cards that Jun used centered around Ojamas, dragons, and other cards. Critias preferred dragons, knights, and machines. Hermos liked to center his cards around tough monsters and those that test his luck. Timaeus liked to use magicians, knights and many other different types of duel monsters that made his deck practically a carnival without meaning to.

They tested each other to the fullest, but the one they knew was the winner among them all was Timaeus.

"I can't help thinkin' that takin' Jun's virginity is one of the reasons you're invincible." Hermos guessed as he mindlessly sipped his juice from a straw. It was lunch time, and the generals were having a picnic at the garden.

"But didn't y-" Jun's mouth was quickly covered by him.

Critias arched a suspicious eyebrow. Hermos quickly laughed it off, and changed the subject. "Anyway, we haven't discovered what Jun's special ability! I mean she can separate things with a card, but the king can fuse whatever he wants, and control the spirits!"

Jun thought that was a good topic to talk about to distract her mind. "We haven't thought about that, huh." She bit into her fried shrimp. Her favorite food. "I have no idea."

"Spirits certainly are attracted to you despite your crude attitude." Timaeus pointed out as he ate one sandwich after another as if they would run away from him. "Perhaps you may not control the spirits but attract them."

"That's a silly thought." Critias commented. "From what I've seen so far, that man is not using mind control on the duel spirits. Instead, its either admiration or fear of his powers that let these duel spirits follow him. The same can be said for humans, but duel monsters are more sensitive to his powers."

"If dat's de case, then we can only figure out of what kind of effect Jun's power has on people if she uses it." Hermos said.

"You mean duel while using my light powers?" Jun didn't sound fond of that.

"You never?" Hermos inquired. The men were surprised. "What about yur duel with the Light?"

She answered, "I only used it to use my super de-fusion card, but I never had it activated throughout a duel. Not even subconsciously. I never believed I ever had to, and I rather prefer to challenge my abilities without it."

"That's amazing! You beat the Light at a duel without using your own light powers!" Hermos found a new level of respect for her. He didn't mind yelling since Jun had their conversation mute from those passing by.

"Don't be impressed. The Light is not a duelist. She uses other duelists to duel for her, so it was a pretty easy act of revenge." Jun shrugged, and ate more of her shrimp. "Anyway, I don't want to use my light powers during a duel. Even if its just to test it out. It's against my pride as a duelist for I am Jun Manjoume!" She pointed a finger to the sky and a spontaneous lightning bolt struck down behind her.

"What is happening here?!" Austin ran to them, and saw the charred spot behind Jun. "Are you the one responsible for the random lightning strike?!"

"Yeah, so?" Jun asked back rudely. She wasn't in the mood to be scolded.

Austin just let it go since it did not harm anyone. "I'm actually here to get you, general Jun. As of today, you've been assigned by the king himself to take my place as the king's guardian from after breakfast to sunset. I will take on the rest of the shift afterwards."

"Hold on!" Critias stood up absolutely against this! "Jun isn't a doll that the king can just take a declare what she is! Jun is a respectable duelist and general. You better go back to your king and-"

"I'll go." Jun said. Everyone was baffled by her calm choice. She stood up and dusted her pants. "I don't like leaving things awkward between us. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can have peace. I learned that the best from you two." She referred to the two lovers who were famous for their arguments. "I'll see you guys by dinner then."

"Don't destroy anything." The three of them warned simultaneously.

Jun stuck her tongue out at them before following Austin to the castle's dueling stadium. There, Jun saw Judai duel for this first time. It was a fake duel, but she was awestruck by the combos the grown man thrown at his poor opponent. She felt the shock waves emitted from his powers of the gentle darkness. It was so strong even when it was not directed at her. Her eyes couldn't help glowing silver. She quickly covered her eyes, and only listened to the rest of the duel.

"General Jun?" Austin spoke an unspoken question.

"My eyes got hurt by the miasma. I'll be fine." She lied.

When she heard the duel come to an end and the sight before her lids was no longer white, she opened them to see Judai looking unsatisfied by his win. He looked over to where he knew Austin would be, but he was not prepared to see Jun standing next to him. Austin told him about what he ordered Yubel to tell him.

Judai looked like he just remembered that he did that. Jun was slightly pissed by that. A king shouldn't forget his orders! Judai spoke unsure, "Oh, right. You may leave us then if that is fine with you, Jun."

"It is." She replied without hesitation.

Austin bowed for them before leaving them.

 _Song: I'm not an Angel - Halestorm_

The two of them were left alone, and Jun prevented the impending silent ice between them, "So where's your keeper?"

Judai was grateful for the prevention, and chuckled. "Guests for the ball are coming to stay here at the castle soon. She wanted to make sure that security was on the ready for anything. She's...protective like that...So-"

"Why did you kiss me yesterday?" Jun went straight to the point.

Judai knew this question came, so quickly told her, "Jun...You need to know that I didn't kiss you because I was mixing my affections for Princess Jun with my affection for yours. After the talk you gave me, I began seeing you for who you are, and it captivated me. As you can see with how my love life, if you can call it that, has been, I don't know how to approach you differently. I thought being bold was the right way, but I saw yesterday that that was the wrong choice."

"Oh no, it was a definite turn on. I like my guys bold." She let him know. "It's just that I know for a fact that we'll only get hurt at the end of this, and I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't want that to." Judai didn't deny, but looked deeply disappointed as his eyes downcast to the floor. He looked to Jun again, and out of nowhere, kissed her again. Jun accepted the kiss, but as the last one, and it seemed that Judai knew that, too. When they reluctantly separated, Judai offered, "Can we at least be friends. You're a lot of fun to be around."

"I guess, but I'm not following you to your chambers when one of your ladies want some alone time with her husband."

"Don't worry. Those are scheduled."

The female knight snorted. "Figures. What is it that you do anyway?"

"Hm?"

"You played hooky for the rest of the day yesterday, and now you're just dueling for kicks. Do you do anything a king's supposed to do?"

Judai shyly laughed with a grin to hide his shame. "Not really. Edo and Yubel pretty much takes care of what goes into the city while I just have to sign papers and be the poster boy for this kingdom."

Jun grimaced at him. As a former princess, she was greatly disappointed in his lack of involvement! Of course, this was practically her parents plan in the first place since Judai may have great leadership qualities where he can inspire and bring people together, and win a duel, but to go through all the technical and dirty stuff in politics didn't seem to be his forte.

She thanked her parents for their sharp thinking, and remained greatly disappointed in Judai. "You have got to be kidding me." She looked ready to leave.

The king quickly tried to fix this. "Hey! But that means we can spend time together! You, me, dueling!" He pointed at his duel disc.

Jun gave him her 'are you serious' face. Judai shot her his handsomely cute smile. She looked away.

"Aw! Come on, Jun! Just one duel!"

"Fine! But you better not hit me with your shock waves or I'm outta here!" She threatened. Her heart felt a little better now that they have become friends.

So the two dueled, and Judai won the first match, but Jun was not letting it end there, so the two dueled again, and again, and again.

They soon stopped to have a meal. Jun wanted to keep going, but Judai's stomach growled in defiance, so she ordered for fried shrimp.

"You love fried shrimp, too?" The king's brown eyes sparkled.

Jun blushed as she proudly claimed, "Yeah! They're just the most delicious food in the world!"

"That's awesome! I love them, too. And many other foods! What's your favorite vegetable?" The king asked.

The two hung out like children who were starting to get to know each other. Jun was careful with her answers. She vaguely remembered small parts of her that Judai knew from Princess Jun, so when he asked about colors, she answered blue instead of purple.

At the end of her shift as his guardian, Jun was able to win two out of ten, but that was good enough for her! She wasn't even using her light powers unlike that dark king!

Judai told her that he had a lot of fun, and she admitted that she did, too. She gave him a warm, cherishing smile that made Judai's heart skip a beat. He went in for another kiss to show his touched feelings, but Jun was prepared this time and uppercut his chin.

She then retired to her room to see her other generals. They met at the hallways, and Critias was immediately on alert. "Please tell me that goofy, loving smile, that Hermos passes around like an idiot after one of our successful dates, is not from the king." He got a punch to the arm by Hermos for that unnecessary description.

"What?! What loving smile?! You're imagining things!" Jun tried to frown, but her face wanted to smile, so she made a very exaggerated frown. "Whatever! I'm going to dinner!" She curtly turned a hundred eighty.

"Alright, but ya better not be smiling like that, or else the kingdom might think you two are havin' an affair." Hermos teased. Jun got mad at him which only amused her knights.

At the dinner, Jun enjoyed herself this time with the other women in the room. She gloated about her achievements and flirted with some of them.

Judai was staring at her with a content smile.

"Penny for your thoughts." Edo rhetorically asked. The two were sitting beside each other. Yubel did not attended the dinner. Austin informed him that she was currently meeting with one of the kings under him. "She's an intriguing women, huh." He commented and took a sip of his tea.

Judai answered, "I'm in love with her."

"CHCK! COUGH! COUGH!" Edo coughed roughly, and Judai helped with a swift slap to his back. "Thanks." The prime minister said hoarsely. Took a drink of water, and cleared his throat. "Di-Did you just say that you were _in love_?" He whispered incredulously! He's known the guy for three years and not once had the king showed a shred of romance in his heart! This was ground breaking history!

However, Judai was unaware of that. "Is it that unbelievable?"

"Unbelievable? I thought it was impossible! But it looks like you can get turned on. Just so happened to be a flat chested and crazy!"

"Wait, how do you know that she's a girl? The records have her registered as male." Judai noticed.

"I visited the academy once as the prime minister, and you won't believe what a day it was! I thought I'd be bored out of my skull, but that girl came out of nowhere riding a wrecking ball, and it was because she wanted to try to get her panties off the roof! The staff wouldn't let her up there, she wasn't allowed to ride any duel monsters, and there was no ladder high enough to get her there, so she stole a wrecking ball from a construction site, had a complete strange drive the thing while she got on the wrecking ball, and the poor chancellor nearly had a heart attack when she saw her swing by the windows!"

"Seriously?! Wait, aren't wrecking balls attached to a crane? Why didn't she just climb the crane?" Judai asked.

"She had the crane parked outside of the school, and she was hoping no one would see her but the ball went around the school and destroyed a statue. The chancellor was about to expel her, but I persuaded him not to. How could I let him when she was the highlight of my week! Now, it hasn't even been a week, and she got someone like you falling in love! Even after what I heard she did to you yesterday?"

"That was only an accident, and she made up for it by helping me realize how much of a vain idiot I was." Judai softly smiled with an inkling of pain in his chest. He still missed Princess Jun, but when he saw her in his day dreams, he realized that these last six years, he had been thinking of her with a horrified expression. He had been seeing her on her knees dressed in different beautiful gowns, yet they were dirtied as her skin and torn by the destruction. her tiara was gone, and her raven mohawk was tangled with some of the strands sticking to her wet cheeks. Her golden eyes lost all innocence as they became awake to the true ugliness of the world.

That image of a child losing all that was good and forced to cope with all that was bad was transformed when the Princess Jun in his mind closed her vacant golden eyes and a single tear from her dropped on the dried, grey cracked ground beneath her. The entire field was submerged by a rippled wave of colors that gave it life in the form of a flower field. The dull, cloudy grey skies dispersed to reveal the embracing sunlight as the poisonous air cleared into a soft, cool wind.

Jun stood in the middle of that field with her parents and citizens surrounding her. The seven-year-old he knew was now as old as him with a slim body. Her raven hair had grown to her waist with wild bangs. Her eyes open to reveal beautiful silver ones. She happily scolded him, "You idiot. You might be the darkness, but you're not the center of the universe! Now stop being so stubborn, and be happy with everything you have in front of you! And save up that rage for when you face the Light of Destruction and avenge everyone she did wrong!" She smiled, but then Judai's mind went off track, and then he saw General Jun smiling just like her.

Judai gasped and willed himself to see those two as different people.

Edo spoke without a clue of what his king was thinking. "You? Vain?"

"That's a personal matter." Judai didn't feel like sharing with Edo about his coping with grief moment.

"Ah. So do you plan on marrying her?"

"I wish, but she already rejected me."

"Haaaah?! What did you do wrong?"

"It's more like what we would've done wrong. In a lot of the fairy tales we hear as children, we hear of the prince or princess marrying their soul mate, and are left to believe that they get to have their happy endings. But we both know that they end it there because marriage isn't all that great to write about."

"I don't think you're one to speak since even with a woman like Lady Asuka as your future queen. You haven't even tried to be a husband. I feel kinda sorry for her. During the first two years of your marriage, she tried everything to get you to fall for her after she realized being friends wasn't good enough for her. But you never gave her the chance."

"Lady Asuka's a good wife, and she's doing a lot of good for the kingdom."

"She spends a lot of time away from it, too."

"I can't change how I feel. Right now, I'm in love with Princess Jun."

"Princess?"

Judai realized his mistake, and fixed it immediately with a smile. "Sorry! I meant General Jun. With how bossy she acts, she reminds me of the many princesses I met before. If she was dressed like one, she'd blend in with them perfectly."

"You got that right. Back at the academy, everyone actually called her the queen of the academy. You wouldn't believe some of the stories they'd tell you!"

That intrigued the king. In fact, he made a plan.

General Jun felt the need to use the restroom so she excused herself from the lovely ladies. She went quickly to relieve herself, and was pump up to go back and surround herself with those beauties!

But then she was stopped by Yubel who called for her at the hallway. The duel monster held a smile, but Jun, who still had her memories of the political meetings with her parents, knew that smile held a motive. However, she wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

Her and Yubel never talked one one one since they met again. They haven't actually had a real conversation in the past either. She knew that Yubel was overprotective of Judai, and despite how the duel monster may treat her like the enemy, she appreciated Yubel's love for him.

Thus with a smile, she approached her.

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _beep...beep...beep..._

 _"We got a pulse, but it's weak!"_

._._._.

 _Song: If You're Not The One - Daniel Bedingfield_

For the first two weeks spent of being Judai's guard from morning to sunset when Judai could be available, they've done many things together other than dueling.

They had a food contest of who could eat the most fried shrimp! Hermos was the winner, but Judai came as a close second, but both him and Jun were unable to do anything for the rest of that day.

They caused harmless chaos across the kingdom by accident with the other generals and Winged Kuriboh sometimes. They also committed heroic acts for those in need, and it inspired Judai to actually know what was happening in his government in order to help them. Jun did her best to not dance for or with Judai since that might reveal who she was.

Judai saw different sides of Jun that made her indescribable, but Critias said it well when he explained that she was the General of Duality. Jun also saw different sides of Judai, and still claimed him to be an all around idiotic great duelist who got lucky because of his powers! Judai jokingly only heard the great duelist part to get her riled up and concentrate solely on him.

Critias would split them apart and act as their barrier even on a love boat ride at a fair. He saw that the king wasn't a bad person, but he was still an enemy since he was aiming for Jun's affections. Something far too valuable to gain in his opinion. Hermos was completely fine with it. Timaeus and Winged Kuriboh were still concerned since Jun was keeping her big secret from Judai.

Jun still felt her guilt, but she thought that this was for the best. Judai was happy, and she didn't want to ruin that again. And she couldn't see how fate could reveal her since none of her citizens that survived from the destruction knew that she was alive, the Light liked that she was keeping the secret for her sick reasons, and the Darkness was being held away from the Supreme King's territory.

She still planned on leaving after the ball, so for now, she simply enjoyed her remaining days with the king. Especially during her favorite moments, and that was either lying on a soft bed of grass to rest or staring at the sunset from a cliff.

"You look absolutely beautiful when the sunset's glow is on your skin." Judai commented. The two were sitting at a cliff at the man made beach of the kingdom. They were having fun with the others.

"Awww. Did you get that from one of your romance novels?" Jun joked.

Though Judai guiltily answered, "Looks like you caught me! If I said it, it'd be 'the sun looks good on you'."

"The sun looks good on you?" Jun snorted. "That's stupid. Buuut, I kinda like that better."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You don't need to try so hard to flatter me. I'm flattered every day! I know I look good now, but you can make me laugh."

"But I want to sound cool!" Judai whined like a child, feeling comfortable to do so.

"What are you? A kid? If you got around to acting like an adult, you wouldn't have to try so hard." She teased him.

Judai shot back, "I can say the same for you! You act like a complete spoiled brat! Not a lady at all!"

"Hey! I can act like a lady if I want to! I just haven't been given the opportunity! You'll see at the ball! I'll be the ladiest of the ladies!"

It was Judai's turn to snort. "Ladiest of the ladies? And you call my grammar bad."

"Well excuse me, but I spent a year fighting a war while you were dueling wannabes and idiots in that castle of yours!"

"Hey, if I could go to war, I would, but that would look dictatorial if I did, but maybe I should have, so you didn't have to suffer from losing your men." The king frowned, but Jun retorted, "Excuse me, but those soldiers entered the war by choice! The same goes for your generals! Maybe the war could've gone a whole lot faster with you there, but your goal isn't to save lives. It's to unite the world, and that requires great sacrifice for an idea that broad."

"But is it the right thing to do?" Judai asked the biggest question in his life. "I mean it allows people to connect, but should it be all under me? Someone who doesn't actually sit at the tables where its all discussed? I'm just the yes-no man meant to take down something that killed millions. When am I supposed to face the Light? Why isn't it facing me now like the prophecies said it would?"

Jun wanted to answer, but to tell him that the Light wasn't coming until almost ten more years after she was done taking care of the Harsh Darkness would only lead to more unwanted questions.

Instead she answered, "I have no clue, but one thing I know for sure is that when the time does come, you'll take it down. This is your universe after all." She silently told herself that it was hers to. She died for this.

Judai moaned, "Then I should know where she is, and take her down, but my powers are useless in doing that."

"Sulking about it definitely won't help. Maybe Princess Jun would've told you that she does want you to take revenge, but building up all this guilt and anxiety is not going to help. Especially when you draw during a duel. You need to build up your confidence and strength to draw the right card at the right time. Maybe the Light is destroying lives right now, but you can rebuild it. With how many kingdoms you have with their resources, it can happen, so don't focus on the Light until it arrives. Right now focus on uniting the twelve dimensions, so it can support each other. And finally prevent or end the wars to come. That sounds like an even more important goal than beating something that's doing the same thing as humans and duel monsters do to themselves."

She gave him an encourage smile that turned into a daring smirk, "Of course, that is if you're up to that challenge still."

Judai stared at her, and knew that she was right, but the chains of doubt was strong. "But what if I'm not good enough after all. What if my best is not good enough."

"That's what friends are for." Jun said it like it was the simplest yet most important answer. As a general who had been at the heat of battle, her words held true. She then playfully nudged at the man. "So?"

Judai considered her answer, and he smirked back at her. "With friends like you, I guess I have nothing to worry about after all."

"Good." She shoved him off the cliff.

Judai splashed into the water, and then swam up for a gasp of air. "What was that for?!" He yelled, but he didn't see her. And then suddenly she saw her jumping off the cliff with nothing at all on. Followed by Hermos, Timaeus and Critias who were also naked.

The five of them played in the water until it was turning dark, and Austin told them that it was time to go.

When they got to the castle, Yubel approached them at the entry way, and said that new guests had arrived to stay until the ball. "King Fubuki had bought his many daughters, and we are short on guards due to an event outside of the kingdom that needed our aid. The one left without a guard is only comfortable among women, so Supreme King Judai, if it's not a problem, may General Jun act as this girls's guard?"

Judai was against the idea since he wanted to spend time with Jun, but he was aware that Jun would agree to it, and get mad at him if he were to hold her back. So reluctantly he agreed. He did appreciate the thankful smile on Jun's face.

Jun was to meet with the princess tomorrow since her and her family were sleeping off the long journey, so she was allowed to retire for the night.

However, when she was to sleep, there was a knock at the door. Timaeus opened it, and was surprised. "Supreme King?"

Jun rose from her bed, and saw that Judai was standing outside the door. "I'm sorry for bothering the both of you at this time, but I would love to talk to Jun for a bit more."

"About what?" Critias entered the room through the other door to his room. Hermos who felt the king's approaching presence was behind him.

Judai frankly answered, "About dancing." His brown eyes glittered with excitement.

Jun however was not. She had the habit of creating auroras, and was afraid that her silver eyes might glow and reveal her true identity. "I'm really too tired to dance." She was a bit sore from all the physical activities of the day.

Judai was fine with that. He sincerely held one of her hands in his like a precious, delicate jewel, and told her, "Then just to talk."

Jun felt her cheeks warm up. She figured that as long as she didn't dance, then everything will be alright. She agreed and her best friends thought that she would be fine after what they've gone through with the king within these last two weeks.

They walked away silently. When they made through a few corners, she immediately knew where they were headed. "You're seriously bringing me to your bedroom? If it was a booty call, you should've just said so! I would've worn my sexy underwear!"

Judai held back his laughter, but some of them slipped passed his lips. "This is not a booty call. I thought about what you said earlier, and it got me thinking about you and Princess Jun, and how the two of you are not the same person, but you act a lot alike, and I figured that I introduced her through the letters she sent me."

They finally reached the room, and Jun's heart was thumping hard against her rib cage. What Judai said was endearing. It almost felt like a scene where a former husband introduces his new girlfriend the precious materials that held many memories from his deceased wife. Yet the problem was that Jun was both of them. Her curiosity, however, made her enter the room, and sit on Judai's bed while he took out the big chest from under the floor boards.

At the sight of the size of the treasure chest, she was surprised by how many she wrote to him. It's true that they practically wrote back and forth constantly for the last seven years, but she never kept count on how many days it took for her to write the many papers among papers of how her life had been like. She truly wished she had her own chest filled with Judai's letters so they could compare, and laugh at memories together. But instead, she had to act like a considerate outsider.

Yet an hour later, the two were lying on the bed with the letters scattered across the room, and she was laughing and mocking herself! She felt so embarrassed and hysterical for having wrote what she had written from the ages of seven to fourteen! It was absolutely eye opening and hilarious! Judai couldn't help laughing with her, but also defending some of Princess Jun's writing choices. Jun confessed to seeing parts of herself in the princess such as their bold attitude, meanness, and generosity. She also confessed to feeling the excitement and love soaked in these pages.

Jun then placed the letters down. She felt tired from reading and feeling happy. Her face began to hurt from smiling so much. "I should get back to my room."

Judai begged softly, "Don't go." His eyes were sleepy, too, but he wanted to bask in this glow of happiness and peace a little longer.

"I'm going to have to eventually." Jun told him, but they both felt that it was an opening to a different conversation.

"You can stay here and enjoy yourself. I am the king."

"The king is only as strong as his image, and photos can easily be damaged."

"I don't see how this could be damaging."

"That's because your blinded by your greed and power. You think that you can do anything, but you can't walk on eggshells without cracking them. You're in a position where you can't fall in love, and I am in a position where I can't accept it."

"But we both already know that we're in love with each other."

"...Maybe in the next life when you're not a king and I'm not what I am, we can fall in love. For now, we have to think about everyone else."

"How are you so sure we'll meet in the next life?"

"I don't think fate is so cruel to not let us. Besides, you made this universe. I'm sure you will find me then like how you found me now."

"Jun...I will."

"...Good."

Their lips were close. A ticklish, magnetic feel across those pairs that demanded to be touched by the other.

Jun quickly got off the bed to prevent a huge mistake, and left without another word.

Judai sat up on his bed, and looked around his littered room of Princess Jun's letters. He felt his heart split into four uneven pieces with only hope and love keeping them at a close distances for the waited repair.

 _Song: Breakeven - Script  
_

 _beep...beep...beep..._

._._._.

A/N: Is this Rageshipping?


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: Yusuke will be in here, but I have no idea of what his personality was like before and after the crazy evil is gone from his system, and he was cured from his trauma. So expect OOC? And paired with an OC.

._._._.

The next day, Jun was tired since she couldn't sleep last night. She rejected Judai again, but gave him a promise to meet in the next life, so he could drop the idea of being together. That promise actually gave her hope that they could have a fresh start, but that would require dying, and the process of reincarnation wasn't proved, and she wasn't sure of how to use her powers to figure it out.

She then kept fighting with herself of whether to tell the truth or not. Judai seemed to be up for not marrying her or the princess anymore, and they can still remain friends! But she wasn't sure if that would be his reaction.

"I'm a terrible person, right?" Jun asked her best friends over breakfast. She needed their opinions.

"That depends on who you're terrible to in your case. I'm generally a terrible person." Critias accepted his status as the asshole of the group.

Hermos said, "This is about de king isn't it. Gotta say that now that we've been hanging out with him, I actually like de guy! He's energetic, funny, and an awesome duelist! Kinda reminds me of me!" Critias snorted which got him a pointed look from his lover.

Timaeus told Jun, "It's a virtue to tell the truth, Jun, and there's no such thing as the right moment from here on out. If you cannot stand to lie anymore, you probably should do something about it."

He was right. This whole guilt thing was starting to feel like an irritating, repetitive feeling inside her that isn't healthy. But she didn't want to be forgiven. She didn't want to stupidly agree to a romantic relationship with Judai, only to see it go down in shambles!

Once again, her cowardice to not tell won.

Not wanting the conflict to consume her, she distracted herself by meeting the daughter she was ordered to protect in her own room. It turned out that this woman came from the other dimension that Jun fought against recently. However, they were in charge of a country that did not ally with the countries who opposed Judai's rule, so there was no bad blood between them. The foreign king had fifteen daughters, and they were all said to be beautiful with different talents and personalities.

On her walk, she heard the knight guards whispering among themselves of how lucky the king was to be able to have even more beautiful women in his castle. It would be no surprise if he were to choose two of the daughters to please him. Jun snorted at the idea since Judai wasn't like that.

She reached the room that was oddly at the far corners of the castle. She knocked on the door before she entered to find a female sitting at the window seat wearing a very plain, unflattering dress with no make up on and had center parted hair that did not go with her round face. Jun pushed away her judgements since this one may not be the daughter. However when she looked beyond the physical appearance, she easily saw a sad young woman.

Seeing this, she approached the girl with a friendly tone, "Excuse me. Are you Ms. Viscaria. I am Jun Manjoume. One of the four generals of the Supreme Kin-"

"I know who you are." Viscaria rudely claimed, with an exasperated sigh. Jun felt insulted, but then she heard the reason for the attitude next. "Your job is to watch over me so I don't do anything to embarrass my father, so I apologize in advance if you're bored, and not surprise if you give the position to someone else." The young woman looked like she was trying to sound unhurt and even sarcastic, but sadness and repressed anger glazed over each and every letter of her sentence.

Jun immediately understood the situation. She encountered this problem before by the other constrained women of society that she met throughout her life since the destruction of her kingdom. She knew exactly what to do, so she sweetly asked, "How could you do a thing like that?"

"Isn't it obvious? You must have not met my _fifteen_ sisters." The bitter daughter spoke venomously. Her tone becoming snarky as she stood up and yelled with a enraged yet pitiful passion, "Then here's a newsflash for you! I am the invisible _sixteenth_ daughter! The one with no talents! A person who can't be wife material like Honeysuckle, or a nun like Lotus! Be a gardener like Magnolia! Be good with money like Buttercup! Be a business woman like Clover! Be a lawyer like Rosemary! Be an adventurous journalist like Iris! And of course not a model like Orchid! Me without a pleasant personality! Who can't be cute and modest like Violet! Be so hospitable and kind like Anthuria! Be queen material like Camelia or Japonica! Be loving and supportive like Primrose! Or courageous like Protea! And great starry sky forbid that I ever reach the impossible goddess level of Daisy!"

Jun watched with great amusement at how the women paced back and forth and waved her arms. She frankly responded, "So your sisters names are Honeysuckle, Lotus, Magnolia, Buttercup, Clover, Rosemary, Iris, Orchid, Violet, Anthuria, Camelia, Japonica, Primrose, Protea, and Daisy. You father either lacks creativity or has a weird fondness for flowers. Either way, none of that matters right now."

"Excuse me?" That was a new reply for her. Usually the guard would become greatly uncomfortable with the idea of watching over a bitter woman, but this one had a gleam in her grey eyes that looked like they were shining silver.

"You do not realize of the opportunities you have, Ms. Viscaria. It does hurt to be invisible, but that's why one should take the full advantage of being one. The two of us are going to have fun these next two weeks until the ball. Just wait a minute!" Jun ran out the room, was gone for fifteen minutes before coming back with her generals.

Jun explained to the immensely bewildered female. Jun held a finger midway to the air, and gave a rousing speech, "I have heard your complaints Ms. Viscaria about your lack of talent or personality that have rendered you invisible to thee eyes of your peers! But what you refused to notice is that like how a man's piece of trash can be another man's treasure, you need to realize that women like us who are considered the trash of society holds value within! So Viscaria Tenjoin!" She dramatically pointed a dramatic finger at her! "Won't you come with me in search of that value through following me on adventures filled with fun and new knowledge! But you have to be careful! There will be danger at every turn."

"Don't you mean that you will put her in danger both incidentally and accidentally?" Critias teasingly asked.

Jun shot a glare at him, and ignored what he said. "So how about it, Ms. Viscaria?! There's nothing to fear! If your father does not care that you are gone, then take that neglect and take it as a form of freedom! You have the money to do whatever you want, and the four of us will happily spend that time with you!"

Viscaria was stunned silent. She just stared at Jun and the rest of them with confused yet awed eyes. The large woman was concerned of what this could bring, and wondered if she would get in trouble. But then Jun was right that she was neglected. Her father probably wouldn't care, and that hurt and enraged her! So out of spite, she nervously agreed. "I-I accept...to your proposal?"

"Great!" Jun took out a large potato sack out of nowhere to put her in, in one swift movement. Jun carried the over two hundred pound woman with her five generals helping her.

The five of them snuck out of the castle without anyone suspecting them since the generals dressed like potato deliverers. Though it left the guards wondering when they existed.

._._._.

Judai was enjoying himself in the presence of King Fubuki who had a charming personality, although it came from obligation since Judai was the king. If he wasn't, the foreign king wouldn't even spare him a glance since he was a man.

They were currently sitting at the garden where they were sharing duel stories to pass the time and get to know each other in order to form a trustworthy bond. Judai had Yubel with him while Fubuki had his number one guard Yusuke by his side. These two stood silent beside them.

"So Supreme King Judai," The foreign king started a new topic to their conversation. "I am well aware that you claim a wife from each kingdom you ally yourself. I do not want to part with any of my fifteen daughters, but I know that the one you chose will be greatly honored! You have a very beautiful and spacious castle, and all your other wives look absolutely happy among each other!"

"I'm glad that you think that." Judai spoke with a formal tone that sounded so flat yet rich compared to how he would speak childish and energetically with Jun and his friends. "I assure you that the one I choose will be happy living in this castle, and she will be allowed to travel back home anytime she wishes."

"That's good to hear!" King Fubuki looked relieved with his dazzling smile. "You know, Supreme King Judai, since we are talking about marriage, you should know that I also have my own group of wives, and I've been convinced to search for one here. Especially after I heard from around your castle yesterday about a female general."

Judai who was drinking had the liquid enter the wrong pipe. He forcibly coughed it out, breathe for air, took a drink of water, and then cleared his throat just like how he was taught to do if he ever did that mistake. "Excuse me?"

"I was talking about General Jun! I heard that she was quite the lady from your prime minister! I'm eager to meet her! I heard that she was watching one of my daughters, but all fifteen of them denied having met her this morning when she was supposed to attend to one of them."

"She was assigned to your daughter Viscaria." Yubel informed him.

"Who?" Fubuki thought that name sounded familiar.

"She is your sixteenth daughter." Yusuke reminded him.

"Oh right! Viscaria! I'm sorry. I don't ever forget my daughters, but Viscaria was always a loner since she's sensitive and allergic to many things. Because of that, she barely ever attended family meals or events. Her and General Jun may be at her room. That's where Viscaria always is."

"I'll have a guard go fetch them." Yubel offered and did as she said.

Judai did not want Fubuki to meet Jun. He knew that the flirt will fall for her stunning beauty, fascinating personality, and be awed at her dueling skills. However, Judai had faith that Jun wouldn't fall for him. But just for good measure, "General Jun is quite the woman, but she's already in a serious relationship with one of the other generals. His name is Critias. He's very protective of her, and absolutely loathes those who flirts with her."

"I see." Fubuki heard but he was not deterred! Instead the glint in his eye just told Judai that he looked more determined! "Well then, just like the mating season of the butterflies, only those with far more determination can claim their mate! I am spending the next two weeks here, which gives me more than enough time to convince her that she should accept the honor of being one of my wife. Her future sister wives would love her!"

Judai's golden eyes glowed menacingly for a second before he controlled himself. Yubel soon returned and informed them, "It looks like the generals and Princess Viscaria had left the castle."

"They left?" King Fubuki was astounded. "But Viscaria is very sensitive to everything! She may be hurt! We need to go find her! Who knows what atrocities could be happening to her body right now!"

._._._.

"Mmmmm!" Viscaria moaned when the masseur pressed his thumbs to the spot between her shoulder blades.

"Enjoying yourself?" Jun asked while she was receiving her sports massage like the other generals. It was important to be at peak condition as a warrior.

"Yes! If I knew how good these felt, I would've done this so long ago! Ah!" She gasped at the feel of her muscles tightening just a little and then relaxing into a set of natural euphoria.

"Who knew yur first stop would be a spa. Not dat I'm complainin'." Hermos liked the masseuse stretching him. She had the cutest smile, and very strong arms that really helped loosen his tough body.

Jun explained, "It's very important that we all relax before what we're going to do next. You seem like the type to not go out or do anything active, right, Ms. Viscaria."

"Shouldn't you call her princess?" Critias questioned.

Viscaria answered, "I rather not be called a princess. I don't want to be labeled with my sisters."

"They bully you?" Hermos inquired. He had several brothers and even though they loved each other, they could be real shit-heads.

The princess answered sadly, "It's only because I'm the only one without a mother. They're all my half-sisters, and out of all of them, I'm the only one who lost her mother at childbirth, so I grew up being raised by my father's other wives, but that only made my sisters around my age pick on me because they knew I had no right to have their mothers' affections."

Jun had the staff stop and leave the room, so they could have a more decent talk with their towels on. The generals sat near Viscaria and formed a circle.

"I'm fairly guessing that the reason your father forgets that he has sixteen daughters is because you were forced by some of your sisters to stay away from them while your other sisters and staff ignored this domestic abuse." Critias spoke as if it were the truth, and by how the princess's lips tightened and eyes stared at the ground, it was.

"Have you tried to reach out to your father about this?" Timaeus questioned cautiously.

Viscaria shook her head, and answered with a deceitful happy tone that grew to anger, "No. I thought he'd know himself or at least ask me of what was wrong, but instead he believes the lies that my so-called sisters make up!" It looked like she was going to cry, but nothing came out. It looked like she had already cried all of them away. "I know he's busy, but just to spare a minute to notice me would've been enough to save me! But instead, he never looks beyond his own happiness! If a worry can easily be pushed aside, then he doesn't investigate! He forgets about it! He forgets about me..."

"How have you coped with this?" The tri-colored general asked again.

She made a small smile. "I talk to his right hand man, Yusuke. He always comes to cheer me up with flowers when he has the free time to do it, but he does it secretly so my sisters wouldn't pick on me more. Anthuria and Japonica fights for his affections, and everyone else is fighting over which one is going to win." She frowned again when he remembered accidentally catching Japonica snatching a kiss from Yusuke. Her heart clenched hard.

Not wanting to be the center of attention, she looked to Jun and saw the terrible scars on her chest and back. "How did you get those?"

Jun happily complied to answer to ease the mood. She touched the scar on her chest with an accepting smile. "I got the scars on my back when I was fourteen by a sick twisted man who relished in the pain of others. He's currently in a prison of sorts. The scar on my chest was from a moment of weakness after the attack. I was at a very dark place, but I rose above it." She smiled with an unwavering strength that glowed off of her. "And you can to."

 _Song: Rise up - Andra Day_

Viscaria was horrified by the terrible backstory of those scars, but when the woman smiled at her like that, she felt a warmth ebb within her core.

"We're gonna give ya de best two weeks of your life!" Hermos declared with a promising grin!

"Of course, we're going to do it away from your family. You should consider getting emancipated. Living in a hostile environment isn't good for your health." Critias suggested. He understood best among the generals of what she was going through.

Timaeus held Viscaria's hand, and gave her an encouraging smile. "We're all on your side, Ms. Viscaria, so don't be afraid to trust us. We will do everything in a power to give you the happiness you deserve because everyone who has not done wrong but has been wronged deserves to."

Viscaria stared at all of them, and for the first time since her tears had gotten tired of falling, they formed an ocean at the corner of her eyes and flowed in huge droplets. She gritted her teeth in shame for crying, but Jun reassured her that shedding tears was the first step to feeling happy!

"But we got to give you a disguise!" Jun let her know. She explained, "If your father does come try to find you for whatever reason, he shouldn't because from this day forward, your ours to please! Don't worry, we'll give them a heads up, so we won't be caught in a scandal."

"Again." Critias added humorously which made Hermos and Timaeus snicker while Jun glared harder at him.

._._._.

When King Fubuki was going to go out with Judai who offered to come, his daughters convinced him that it would be a waste of time. Then a letter from a summoned Ojama gave him the letter written by Viscaria, which stated shortly that she was safe, and will enjoy her two weeks exploring the kingdom. She also warned him that she may not return to the castle, but she will be sleeping at a hotel safely.

Judai did not like the sound of this, but the foreign king looked jovial at the news. "Oh! So she's safe after all! I worried for nothing. Of course, your generals wouldn't recklessly let her leave without caution! I hope she is having fun!"

Yusuke was not happy with the news however. "Are you sure, my king? You should at least check on her to make sure she's safe."

"Should I?" Fubuki pondered. His daughters convinced him that he shouldn't bother since Viscaria had four powerful duelists with her! Envy was evident in some of their voices.

Anthuria and Japonica also tried to convince Yusuke to not bother either, but the green-haired male would have none of it. "Then I should check at least. I will back by dinner time, my king."

"Alright! I'm counting on you, Yusuke!"

Judai wanted to go, too, but it did not make sense for him to go check on a princess he never met without the king. Because the trip was canceled, Judai was allowed to go to his room early to bathe before lunch time.

Yubel followed him to give him the updates of what was happening within his entire nation. She paused when they entered the room, and Yubel saw familiar letters on her king's bed. "Judai...are these-"

"They're the letters from Princess Jun." Judai didn't deny it as he stripped. He hadn't put all his letters away since he wanted to continue rereading some of them until he fell asleep. He couldn't put the back because he had a busy morning.

Yubel felt her heart drop. She specifically remembered Judai burning them in front of her. Now it was obviously a lie. "I thought I specifically told you to-"

"I couldn't, okay!" Judai cut her off. He just had his heart rejected and now Jun was prancing about with some other princess for two weeks with a chance of not seeing her himself! He understood that she must have her reasons, and he shouldn't be angry, but as someone trained to feel rage, it became increasingly hard to not be. He calmly lashed out, "You wouldn't stop bothering me about them, so I lied to you. I understand that you were trying to help me, but you didn't know how to." He left it at that when he walked into his bathroom and slammed and locked the door shut behind him.

Yubel stood in that room and didn't move an inch.

When she heard that Judai was done with his bath, she finally moved to float at another corner of his room. Not daring to touch a thing. Judai walked out with his towel on, and his golden eyes showed no relief or hatred that she was still there. He apologized, though. "Yubel, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I was just frustrated with Jun being with that other princess."

"Jun?" Yubel only felt worse by the explanation. She had dealt with her king spending time with her throughout the days while she was busy preparing everything for the ball to become a success.

Judai, however, didn't hear the upset in her voice. He sat down and confessed, "Yeah. I think I'm in love with her. And I know for a fact now that it's not because she reminds me of princess Jun. I mean she does, but I see her. I see General Jun as her own person, and I am in love with her." His golden eyes faded to a glimmering pools of brown that swayed gently when her face crossed his mind.

Yubel faltered as her memories vividly reminded her of the promise, _"Yubel...I promise you...my love will only belong to you...No matter what anyone says...I shall keep loving you!"_

"Ah, but she rejected me three times already. Told me that we'd only hurt ourselves and the people we love, and I believe her. What love story with politics involved didn't get screwed over, right Yubel?" He joked with a grin hiding his sadness.

Yubel smiled with him. "You should follow her warning, my king...Love shouldn't be given so recklessly..."

._._._.

"Okay, Viscaria. Here's a little advice." Jun strutted to her in a long glittery violet disco costume with a pink feather boa on her shoulders and a sun hat with a big feather on her head. She was receiving weird looks from those around her but she was unfazed. "My mama told me that when someone got a problem with you, you hear their complaint. It's gonna sting baby because you got pride, but you can't walk through life improving yourself without a little pain. But make sure the problem is constructive and whether you should give a damn. You should only give a damn if you're being offensive like wearing clothes that insults an ethnicity and whatnot!"

She pointed her thumb at her fellow generals who were dressed in stereotypical getup that was insulting.

Hermos asked, "Remind me why we love her again?" He was dressed like a poor version of a tiger.

Critias answered, "I know my reasons, but I don't know if they outweigh this humiliation." He was dressed like a harpie lady.

"At least the two of you have clothes on." Timaeus only wore a loincloth and held a club so he would look like an ogre. Jun claimed that she was being considerate since dressing him up as an elf would've been insulting.

Jun cried out with a finger up in the air, "If someone gonna come up to me and say you're too bold for a woman, too manly for a woman, flat chested with no curves and have uneven skin tone for a woman, I say screw them! I am a woman because I see myself as a woman and have a vagina to prove it! Screw societies' ideas of what a woman should be! I've been around the world to know that no one is beautiful on the outside everywhere! I know cities where your sisters would've been seen as horrifyingly ugly! Do you see where I'm getting at Viscaria?!" She pointed her dramatic finger.

"Yes!" The princess was caught in Jun's passion! "I...I AM..."

"A Butterfly!"

"A BUTTERFLY! Wait, what?"

"Just like how my father told me, when you find your wings darling, you spread them and fly on your own wind current! That's why we are giving you a makeover of your liking! Welcome to the Jun Manjoume Makeover Show! Are you ready?!"

"I-I'm-I'M READY!"

"Then let's go! First stop! The lingerie store!"

"EH?!" Everyone was thinking of a hair salon!

But Jun explained, "Why of course! We have to get you wearing the correct underwear first! An ill fitting bra is the start of a bad day!"

"How would you know that? You never wore a bra in your life." Critias pointed out.

She indirectly shot back, "Having a terrible entourage is also a big no no, so dump their sorry, critical asses behind! Let's go!" She grabbed Viscaria's wrists, and they ran off to change her life.

 _Song: Wings - Little Mix_

They went to the lingerie shop where Viscaria was made to try on different types of sexy clothing items, and she was shocked when she looked at the mirror and saw a well proportioned, sexy body. She thought the mirror was playing tricks on her, but it was a regular mirror that reflected her own body's beauty.

She felt silly when she started to cry again, but she was truly happy. She couldn't help blushing and laughing when Jun and Hermos cheered and clapped for her first time wearing a flattering corset and underwear.

After being taught about what to wear and how to wear her clothes, they bought many lingerie outfits. Then they went shopping for clothes, jewelry, and when they were done with that, they went to a beauty salon where they got their hair, nails and makeup done.

Viscaria walked around looking like a new happy woman that Yusuke who was looking for her passed by her without realizing it. She didn't notice him either as she was receiving many good compliments from those passing by. Those who catcalled were dealt with by the generals.

They had all the shopping be delivered to her room at the castle. Jun paid the deliverer extra to make sure her stuff is not touched at all by her sisters.

"I never thought I could be so happy!" Viscaria confessed while she was happily eating her parfait. She was a healthy woman who deserved to treat herself! "I never want to return home." She sadly wished.

"You can." Critias reminded her of her choice to be emancipated and start a new life free from abuse here at this dimension. He was willing to help her with this restart. "It will be frightening for someone like you, and this is a scary place, but play your cards right, and you can live a better life. As I said, I'll see to that."

Viscaria blushed by how serious and promising he sounded with his deep baritone voice. "You would do that for me?"

"It's something to do after the ball." Critias answered apathetically.

But Hermos teased, "Ooh, look at him. He's tryin' ta act like de cool bad boy. Everyone betta watch out. Bad boy Critias with a heart of gold is happenin'."

"Shut up, pup." He snapped. Hermos just stuck a happy, childish tongue at him. Critias pulled on that tongue and stuffed an ice cube in his mouth.

"Corlllddd!" The hazel eyed brunet spit it out, and then threw a vicious glare at the smirking blond, who was daring him to pull something by the look of his purple eyes.

Blue haired and blue eyed Timaeus sighed as they started throwing insults at each other. He really wondered if they were in love with each other.

Jun and Viscaria watched in amusement and laughed together at the sick burns being slung into the fight.

Viscaria then took the chance to tell Jun, "I got to say that for someone who badmouthed herself earlier...you're truly beautiful, Jun, and I'm not saying that to be nice. I mean look at you without your armor!"

Jun was currently wearing a sleeveless purple high neck top with a high waisted shorts with laced stockings and mary janes on. Her long raven hair was styled into an over the shoulder fishtail with curls.

"Well, I'll be. General Jun looks like a girl!" An Australian accent interrupted them.

Jun knew only one person with a long snout and green scales who would talk to her so casually. "Cook!" She leaped and hugged her right hand man- er - crocodile. "What are you doing here?"

"I got an invitation to the ball by the king himself! I thought you asked him to invite me, but seein' as you're surprised, I guess the king either recognized my talents or did you a little favor in secret." He gave a sly wink.

"I didn't ask because I didn't think a ballroom was your style!" Jun flashed a bright smile at him.

Viscaria was nearly blinded by it. Timaeus told her, "His name is Cook. He is General Jun's second-in-command. He was her history and geology tutor, and formed a powerful bond."

"That's right! You wouldn't find anyone so brave and caring like Cook here!" Jun declared proudly! "Cook, this is Princess Viscaria, but soon to just be Viscaria when she decides to be emancipated."

"Is that so." Jim gave the female a friendly smirk and a tip of his hat.

Viscaria couldn't help pointing out, "I can't help noticing that your eyes look different from each other."

The crocodile didn't mind answering, "Ah, so you noticed. It's a long story, but the short story is that my eye got hit by the enemy and Jun got me a new one. Helps me look into a person's spirit. Pretty cool, right?"

"Of course it's cool!" Jun arrogantly claimed. "I gave it to you!"

Critias teased, "Out of guilt." He smirked back at her deadly glare.

Jim chuckled, and told Viscaria, "Well I don't know what's happening for you to want to get emancipated, but if a beautiful woman such as yourself would like some company, then don't be shy to give me a call."

Viscaria's cheeks became a shade of pink, and she smiled back. "You can count on that." She gave him a positive wink.

Jun gushed, "Ooooh! Will you look at that! She's already working her sexy lady figure!"

Hermos gushed, too, "Everybody betta watch out! Here comes de new chick on de block! She's gonna steal yur man!"

Viscaria played along with her newfound sass, "I'm not going to steal them. They already lost them the moment they see me walking down the street!" She snorted at what she said and everyone laughed with her.

._._._.

 _Song: Talking to the Moon - Bruno Mars_

A week passed, and Judai's heart was restless. He craved to see Jun again, so he could hear her witty teases, her crazy schemes, and her generous words. He wanted to feel her attacks on the dueling field, and to hold her in his arms whenever he could. He wanted to see her golden eyes...

Judai stopped himself. He reminded himself that Princess Jun had golden eyes and General Jun's own were grey. He wished they didn't have the same monolidded eyes or the same color of hair or other similarities that screwed with his mind. He was in love with princess Jun, but he was sure that he loved General Jun as herself.

He looked up at the sky from his balcony to see the waning moon. He thought of Princess Jun. Before General Jun helped him, he couldn't dare look at it without being stung by its luminescent glow. Now, he's been talking to it as if it were the princess herself, and confided in her for what he wouldn't talk to Yubel for.

He told her, "I'm still in love with you. Although I finally learned to stop grieving recently, I still can't stop thinking of you. But if I want to love General Jun properly, I have to let you go. I don't have much time left to be with her, but she's busy with that princess, and Winged Kuriboh told me what she was doing." He lovingly smiled at the memory. "I don't want to get in the way of Jun helping Princess Viscaria with what she's going through, but our time together is running out, and I don't know when I'll see her again. That womanizer, King Fubuki, wants to meet her and he might propose to her." He slightly gritted his teeth at the memory. "But I won't let it happen. Jun deserves someone better. But only for this lifetime. Our next lifetime will be ours. We promised that. Princess Jun, I hope the two of us can remain close friends in that next lifetime, or maybe we can all be married together! I don't know if you two would get along, but I don't know right now if I could choose between the two of you if you two were standing before me right now."

"And you call King Fubuki a womanizer." Jun suddenly appeared at the corner of his balcony.

Judai felt his whole body flinch. "General Jun! You didn't hear that did you?"

"Every word actually." She admitted with a displeased expression. Although she was secretly happy on the inside that Judai was in love with both versions of her despite the terrible circumstances. "I came here unseen to let you know the princess and I were okay. Figured I should come in person since I left without a word last time. But I see that you're too busy talking to your girlfriend, so I'll dismiss myself."

"Wait! I...Uhm..." Judai wasn't sure of what to say. He was about to invite her to do something like eat or duel, but he was at a lost of words. She appeared so suddenly.

Jun huffed and approached him angrily to poke harshly at his chest. "What's with you?! Just ask me to stay by demanding a duel! What happened to your idiotic confidence! Do you expect me to tell you what to do and cheer you up every time I'm around?! I'm not Ms. Mary Sue, y'know!"

Judai gave a guilty grin. "Sorry. I haven't gotten my daily dose of you that I was experiencing withdrawals. Your too much of a shock to my system, but I'm fine now." He sneakily wrapped his arms around her waist and smirked lovingly at her.

Jun blushed and pushed him away. "I told you we're friends! If you want to get cuddly, you have a hundred wives to please you!"

"C'mon Jun! I was just giving you a friendly hug!"

"Uh huh! Friendly hug my foot! I felt where your hands were going! Was you being an asexual a lie!"

"A what?" Judai was not aware of that term.

Jun let it go since Judai's hands weren't actually trying to touch her ass. "Nevermind! I came here to be a good friend! So do you want a duel or not!"

"Definitely! But we have to be silent, so it looks like we'll have to play in my room without our duel disks."

"I'm fine with that."

The two played on the floor, and went on for hours dueling each other while talking about what they have been doing over the last week. Jun was stubborn to at least win three times against the king without a handicap!

The king told her that he told Yubel about them and the letters, and that she took it very well. Jun was surprised that Yubel didn't try to argue over the letters since she remembered that Yubel didn't like princess Jun, but she was fairly sure that Yubel liked her since their talk. "Did she tell you about the possibility of me marrying King Fubuki?"

Judai paused from drawing his five cards for their next game. "What?"

"She told me three weeks ago about how King Fubuki likes to collect wives, and she wanted to know if I knew any qualified bachelorettes. I did know a few, and Yubel knew a few princesses, and they were coming to the ball, but if King Fubuki ends up liking me, I said that I would be fine with that."

A sudden shock wave erupted from the man that Jun instinctively covered her eyes. "Why would you say something like that?!"

"What are you getting mad about?!" She saw the glow died down, and she opened her eyes. "It's a political marriage. You of all people should know what that's like."

"Gnngh! Yes!" He roared, but then controlled his tone. "I'm sorry! I mean yes, I do. It's just that you'll be living in another dimension, and with a man who looks like he likes sleeping with all of his wives at once. You haven't met him yet, but he's what I've heard people call a true casanova. He'll be able to make you fall for him in a zap." He pouted at the thought.

Jun was astounded by what he said and his reaction. "Oh my magic, are you jealous?!"

"Yeah, so? Isn't it normal for people to get jealous when the person you're in love with is marrying a man who makes women fall in love with him for a living? I'm scared that you'll be happier with him than you would ever be with me. I'll respect your choice, but I won't like it." Though he said that, his frown yelled that he was really against her choosing him.

The female general felt her entire face heat up. Her lips tight and wrinkling, eyes wide and ear shells being scorch hot. She grounded out, "I-Idiot. If you're honest like that, then how am I supposed to fall for King Fubuki. I already told you that I like a guy who can make me laugh since I flatter myself everyday, but if you say something like that, that's beyond flattering! Something some foreign casanova king definitely can't do!"

Judai heard her and realized that Jun confessed that she would love him more than the foreign king. His own face went red and unlike Jun who was backing away, Judai lunged himself at her and hugged her tightly.

Jun yelled and shoved at him, but she barely tried to get him off. She easily gave up, and they remained that way for awhile. Basking in their mutual love for each other.

Feeling the urge to sleep by the contentment, Jun quickly had them duel again for her three wins. She was able to do so at three in the morning. She was still full of energy to move, but her brain cried out for mercy. She decided it was time to leave.

"Please give Princess Viscaria my bests." Judai told her as they entered his balcony. "And please be careful, Jun. I love you."

"I...will love you in the next life." She promised.

Judai smiled nonetheless. "Me too." He reached in for a kiss, but Jun turned around, kicked him accidentally(?), and then jumped down.

She didn't think anyone saw her, but then when she turned a corner where a guard shouldn't be, she came face to face with Yusuke. She turned away, but Yusuke saw her. "Hey you! You're general Jun! Where's Princess Viscaria!"

Jun stopped from running away, and turned around with a smirk. "Viscaria told me how you were the only one who tried to cheer her up at first, but stopped so her sisters wouldn't hurt her worse. Then you should be glad to know that Viscaria plans to be emancipated from her role as princess by her own choice."

"Emancipated?" Yusuke said the word as if it came from another language.

Jun explained, "My generals and I are simply doing as we are ordered, so for this entire week, we've went through your county's laws. It's possible as long as she marries someone from another country, and may remain independent even after a divorce. No test required to check if the marriage is real or not."

"King Fubuki wouldn't let you get away with this!"

"Are you so sure about that? I haven't met him, but from what I hear, he spoils his princesses too much that if Viscaria told him that this was her own choice and she was happy, then he'll agree. Can you tell me that I'm wrong?"

Yusuke wanted to say that it was, but he knew King Fubuki, and he would agree. His king wasn't so frivolously all the time. When facing his enemy, he could become a force of nature. A blizzard to be exact. But when it came to his daughters, he would became a snow flurry.

When Jun didn't receive an answer immediately, she said with a disappointed tone, "Figures. Yusuke, Viscaria is happy. She even joined a Burlesque club!"

"Burlesque?!" That did not sound good for a very upstanding man!

"It's only a part time job! She's actually happily working at a lingerie store!" Jun posed like a happy idiot to get him even more upset.

"How is that any better?!"

"You can come see for yourself tomorrow to be at awe at all of my hard work! But if you want to see the truth, then you better have a disguise! I'll send one of my ojamas to give you the locations of where to meet!" She ran away before Yusuke could say another word, and vanished into one of the trees. She waited until he was gone before she ran off to escape again, but she was caught by Yubel who was checking on perimeters herself.

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Whoa! Why is everyone suddenly at this corner at three in the morning! I can't sneak away for fun like this, you know!" The playful knight complained.

Yubel was displeased by her presence. "Why are you here?" She interrogated.

"I came to tell the king that we're okay, so he could tell King Fubuki." Jun answered frankly. She didn't mind the condescending, inquisitive tone. Yubel was just doing her job.

"And you couldn't have relayed it to me?" She arched an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't know where you were since your always all over the place, and I guess I wanted to have a duel with King Judai. Is that so wrong?" Jun arched her inquisitive sassy eyebrow.

Yubel narrowed her eyes at her, but it relented. "...I guess not, but please, Jun, I take my role as Judai's guardian very seriously."

"I know!" Jun spoke earnestly. Now looking a bit guilty. "I'm sorry, Yubel. I promise to check with you first before I see King Judai." She gave a sincere, promising smile.

Yubel gave her a smile back. She placed a trusting hand on Jun's shoulder. "Thank you, Jun. And when the next time comes, know that you will know my exact location if you just talked to one of the guards. No more snooping around. Got that?" She spoke as if she was scolding a child.

Jun did feel like a child, but did feel rightfully reprimanded. She nodded. "Alright. No more snooping. I promise."

"Good. Be safe."

"You too."

 _beep...beep...beep..._

._._._.

Jun started her day with meeting with Yusuke while her generals and second-in-command were enjoying their time around the kingdom. Viscaria was currently working at the lingerie store which was a moment of opportunity!

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Yusuke tried to back away from Jun and the Dark Magician Girl, but he was caught in a hotel room with them.

"Do it girl!" Jun gave her signal, and Dark magician Girl did her spell.

Yusuke felt his body change dramatically from a male to a female. "What is the meaning of this! I did not agree to this!"

"So you were willing to walk into a lingerie shop as a man?" Jun rose a high dubious eyebrow at him.

"Either genders is embarrassing!" He was blushing and trembling because he felt so subconscious by the size of his breasts and that wearing emptiness between his legs.

"Hmph. I didn't think that you would be such a prude."

"Pru-prude?"

"Don't be so mean, Jun!" DMG scolded her. "I agreed to this to help Viscaria! She deserves to be happy!"

"And that's what we're doing! Yusuke is our only obstacle at this point, so let's get to it!"

 _Song: Fabulous Baby - Sister Act_

The two of them dragged the new formed woman to the lingerie shop that Viscaria was working at to see that she was busy helping the many women coming into the store. The ball was coming up, and that meant a lot of escorts/prostitutes had to look good in order to convince a wealthy man to let them in with him!

Jun and DMG said hello to a lot of them and chatted for a bit. Yusuke was too busy staring at the full grown beautiful woman he knew was Princess Viscaria, but she nothing of her original truly remain. She wasn't introverted. Instead she looked like she truly enjoyed interacting with as many people as she could to make her smile by making her feel useful. She wasn't dressed in plain clothing with an uncaring and sarcastic attitude to her appearance. Instead she looked like she had a confident and sarcastic attitude while dressed in comfortable, fashionable clothes.

However what stood out to Yusuke was by how she walked. He never realized before that Viscaria had this slow, heavy walk as if her ankles were caught by a ball and chain. Now, she was walking as if she was floating through air. As if wings had sprouted from her back and made her into...a butterfly.

Eventually, Viscaria was able to finally talk to them. She looked worn out physically, but she was vibrant. Yusuke was still astonished to see such a happy smile. It was happier than that smiles he remembered receiving every time he tried to cheer her up. His stomach clenched a little in pain. He wondered to himself if he was the bad guy after all.

It turned out that the woman was about to end her shift, but Jun introduced Yusuke as Yuu, and that she needed a nice corset for the ball.

Yusuke was not happy at being piled with the other prostitute costumers, but he allowed himself to be pulled into a dressing room by Viscaria who talked to him like a polite, sociable employee. He hated how shy he acted, but she comforted and coaxed him to try some corsets that he had to admit looked good on him and he felt comfortable by her side.

After buying a corset that he never planned to use, the four of them went out for lunch and talked about various things such as DMG's relationship status with Timaeus, Jun's crazy stories, and what Viscaria was doing at the Burlesque show.

Yusuke knew that he should be happy for Viscaria, but he felt alone among the conversation. Even when he joined, he only felt like an outcast.

When they went to the club where Viscaria was performing, they watched her routine at first, applauded for her at the end, and then Jun began dancing with her for fun.

It was just harmless, fun dancing, but Yusuke saw the bond that Viscaria shared with Jun. She saw the trust, the appreciation, the love that he never had. He couldn't bare to watch anymore, so slid away.

But then DMG caught him outside. "Jun told me you'd try to sneak away." She gave him an understanding, cheerful smile. "She also told me to tell you that you're not Viscaria's past, and even if you were, you're not a villain in her story. Viscaria loves you, and will welcome you into her new life."

"But I can't remain in this dimension with her. I swore an oath to stay at King Fubuki's side, and will risk my life for him." Though he said this honorably, his eyes were downcast to the ground. He strongly believed he could do nothing to keep Viscaria near him.

But the Dark Magician Girl proved him wrong. "She's only here because she doesn't have a good excuse to go back as a free woman. Maybe you can provide that for her. I'm sure you can!" She encouraged him before leaving him to his own thoughts in his own and his male genitalia.

Yusuke still felt like everything was hopeless, but when he looked back into the club, he saw Viscaria looking up at Jun as if she was the most precious person in the world to him. His heart twinged and his stomach clenched, but something snapped inside him when Viscaria suddenly kissed her.

Jun was caught off guard by this. She leaned away, and didn't know what to say. No one she helped actually kissed her. "Uhm...wow, you kiss nice." She mentally kicked herself for that name response.

Viscaria gave a guilty, nervous smile. "I'm sorry. It's just that dancing with you is always uplifting, and I just had to kiss you. But I'm in love with someone else."

"It's Yusuke, right?" Jun gave her a warm, knowing smile.

Viscaria nodded without a doubt. "He always looked out for me from afar, and these feelings are only superficial. Hopefully one day, he'll be happily married with Anthuria or Japonica, and the same will happen for me. Maybe with your friend, Cook!" She joked.

Yusuke did not like that last sentence. He could not stand back from this, but first, he needed to do something before he acted. Jun saw him go with the determined look in his eyes. She felt the warmth of accomplishment in her chest.

 _beep...beep...beep..._

 _"Chazz...please wake up...Please Chazz. You're a Princeton...You can wake up from this..."_

Jun was in the middle of getting ready to perform for the Burlesque show since Viscaria asked her to. Suddenly, she was told by DMG that Yusuke proposed to marry Viscaria after he asked for King Fubuki's permission since the two were childhood friends, but she declined him and asked to start their relationship with dating. Jun congratulated her, and they promised to celebrate after the show.

For now, Viscaria went on that stage and bloomed on the spotlight. Her life was coming together and she was strong enough to face the future hardships. The male generals with Cook and other soldiers who came to the kingdom after being invited by the king cheered for her as she danced like a free, confident woman.

"You really did a good job, Jun." DMG told her while they watched from backstage. "Once again, you saved someone from the most unlikely of places."

Jun shrugged with a satisfied smile. "I was taught that no matter how personal the problem is, every soul needs an uplift." Behind her eyes, she was remembering the fun she had with her citizens when she had the free time from her duties, and that she held onto all the hands she could to bring them to a better place.

Jun's number soon came on, so she got on that stage and put her heart out there to entertain and energize her audience. The room erupted with a wave of screams that the music was hard to hear, but Jun knew her routine and she was sexy, fun, and perfect.

Unknown to her, Judai watched her from among the shadowed crowd. He heard from King Fubuki about Yusuke's confession, and he talked to Yusuke to know what Jun had been doing since he hadn't seen her for a few days and the ball was coming up. When he heard that Jun was performing at the Burlesque show, he was immediately on board at following Yusuke to the club, but in secret. He didn't want to upset Yubel, and it wouldn't be good for the king to show up to one, so he and Yusuke put on disguises as commoners.

Judai was entertained by the lively and funny performances at first until Jun got on that stage. Just from walking in the spotlight was she dazzling that she mesmerized the audience by her confidence. Judai felt an adrenaline rush activate inside his body. His eyes completely transfixed on her alone as she moved across the stage in a playful fashion, but to Judai, he saw something more than a fun strip tease. He saw her soul burning like wild fire. Rain was pouring on that spark, but it was unyielding. Instead when a storm brewed to take it down, it just became one with the storm and came down as a flash of lightning.

He stood from his seat with his golden eyes glowing dimly in the crowd, but it was bright enough for Jun to see as her silver eyes shone on that stage. For a second her face fell, but she quickly smiled and left the stage. Judai remained standing where he was before leaving with Yusuke.

Timaeus, Critias and Hermos saw her eyes glow, and Hermos felt the king's presence. They knew what that meant.

"Should we go to her?" Timaeus questioned.

"We should." Critias was about to stand up, but Hermos placed a firm grip on his arm.

"No. Jun can handle herself, n' de king won't hurt her. Besides, it's better now since it looks like de king didn't bring anyone with him except that Yusuke guy." Hermos reasoned.

Jun thought Judai would come confront her right after the show, but he didn't come. She figured that he also needed time to process this truth.

The next day, she went back to the castle since her guardian duty was over. Viscaria wasn't a fan of balls at all, so she was going back to her dimension to start her life early. Yusuke wanted to follow, and Fubuki was willing to let him go with her, but she rejected his help. She told them that she already contacted a friend back home who already set her up with a job, and that she was ready to live her life on her own, but not her romantic life which can be put in pause at the moment.

Jun now walked along the hallways looking for a certain someone who could help her avoid the king. "Yubel!"

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"YOU WENT TO A BURLESQUE SHOW LAST NIGHT!" Yubel roared furiously at Judai at his duel arena. Jun was standing behind her. The duel monster guardian was yelling to the top of her lungs that Jun took a step back to make sure she isn't in range for any attacks that would spontaneously happen. "THAT IS IT! YOU ARE UNDER CASTLE ARREST UNTIL I SEE FIT!"

"But Yube-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY ANOTHER WORD! I WORK NIGHT AND DAY TO MAKE SURE THIS KINGDOM RUNS AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO LEAVE WITHOUT MY KNOWING! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW INSULTING THAT IS!"

"I'm so-"

"Apologies won't fix this." Yubel spoke so calmly so suddenly that the room felt like the fire that was lit earlier had been frozen. The atmosphere became chilly that Jun almost felt like Critias was in the room. "I made up my mind. Thank you Jun for informing me of Supreme King Judai's unruly activities."

"You're welcome." Jun smirked at the king. "And I'll be honored to help you with your duties since I am free."

"That is very much appreciated. I do need you outside of this castle to do some crowd control. Traffic and crowds have the habit of turning havoc during our upcoming balls. I also hear that Supreme King Judai personally invited your soldiers to this ball without informing me as well. It would be good if you and your fellow generals could help them settle in this kingdom. It is becoming undoubtedly full."

"I and my fellow generals will do our best." She gave a slight bow before leaving. Judai wanted her to wait so they could talk, but Yubel flash him a glare.

In the next few days before the ball, Jun worked with her best friends to patrol the city and lead traffic. It was definitely becoming a very crowded city, and by the many guests arriving at the castle, Jun was not surprised that magic was used to make sure that everyone invited could fit. A lot of food and drinks were being imported from the different dimensions with their best chefs. When Jun took a peek in the kitchen, she saw it go on for miles both from across and to the ceiling. It looked more like its own kitchen factory world with doors that led to the ballroom.

She once saw a room that was reserved for giants and it looked like the size of the entire castle. Then there was the smallest rooms that Jun didn't know existed unless she checked every inch of the castle's walls to find the door. Then there was the matter of how they traveled through the castle. It turned out that the castle was practically alive that it would stretch it's walls from within to get the giants to move while also creating a bright colored hallway for the small ones so the giants wouldn't step on them. Despite this, the outside of the castle doesn't changes. Instead when a giant exit, they think that they are exiting a door of their size, but from the outside, they're actually a bit shrunken before being put back to their regular size. The small trickery to the mind was to make sure the guests felt comfortable.

But what Jun found most amazing was the fact that some of the visitors were enemies, but Yubel made sure that didn't see each other for a majority of the time, and would make sure nothing went down at the ball. Jun was at awe that she and those by her side were capable of pulling such a thing. These balls had happened before and not once had a fight nor an attempt of assassination took place.

Jun met some of the visitors and had either been praised, insulted, somewhere in between those two, and also questioned about her gender, ojama background, and her love life. She used the skills that she learned as a princess to answer these without causing a problem, even when they were ignorant.

She, her best friends, helpful soldiers felt exhausted at the end of the day to have to handle the job that they were given. But even though she was exhausted to the point that she didn't want to think, she would silently wonder of what Judai was doing.

"So are you going to the ball?" Critias asked Jun on the day before the ball at their rooms.

"Considering that nearly five hundred of our soldiers who decided to come to the ball is here, I don't mind going." She answered while unbraiding her hair on her bed.

"Even if there's a chance that King Judai knows who you are?" Timaeus inquired.

Jun didn't really think about it. She sort of felt okay with it. "He only saw my eye glow silver which isn't uncommon. I can easily lie my way out of it."

"Are you fine with dat?" Hermos asked.

"I won't be seeing Judai right after this ball, and when I'm gone, I won't feel guilty. I guess I will once in awhile out there, but it will be nothing new. General Jun and King Judai are friends. Princess Jun is a memory we'll both just have to cherish." She combed the tangles in her hair away.

Her generals looked at each other, and they all thought that was fine. They weren't really sure of what was the right thing to do at this moment since politics were involved.

So Hermos asked, "So do you have an outfit for the ball?"

Before Jun could answer, there was a knock at the door and a shout that he had a package for her. She took it from him, and gave him a tip before opening the box in front of her friends.

"BIG SISTER!" A yellow, green and black ojama leaped out of the box.

"I told ya traveling by mail was faster!" The green one gloated, and the others agreed.

"Big sister, we missed you!" The yellow one cried out and hugged her. "Us too!" They all hugged her.

Jun chuckled softly with a loving expression on her face. As annoying as the ojamas were, they were her family, and she happened to be stuck to these three. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were invited by the king!" The black one took out the invitation that they got. "Everyone else wanted to go, but they didn't want to risk being eaten, but the three of us wanted to see you real bad! It's been way too long!"

"I know. And I'm sorry for not stopping by home first, but the king demanded for us to come here." Jun apologized.

"Hey you three ugly works of nature! How's it been going?" Hermos greeted them.

"Oh hey big bros!" They greeted.

"You two going to the ball as a couple?" The green one asked Critias and Hermos.

The taller lover answered, "There's no need. Our relationship doesn't need to be in display in front of pretentious, ignorant fops."

"But Dark Magician Girl agreed to be Timaeus' date!" Hermos announced.

Timaeus blushed bright red, and went even redder when the ojamas congratulated him.

Jun looked inside the box that they came from and saw something inside a plastic. She opened it, and she was surprised by what was inside. "Did Ojama mama make this?"

"Huh?" Ojama yellow looked over his shoulder. "Oh yes! She made that for you to wear at the ball! You are the representative of our country, so it's important that you show up with Ojama pride!"

Hermos teased, "I'm surprised it isn't a bikini."

"Of course not! She remade that old dress ya had!" Ojama black told her proudly. "It wasn't easy, but she did the best she could."

"I love it." Jun held the dress close to her chest, though her smile was sad. It looked just like the last dress that she was wearing during the day of her kingdom's destruction, but she also remembered all the happy memories that came when she wore it.

She immediately took off her clothes to put it on, and she gave a whirl. As she did, she felt like she was being embraced by love that her powers of light dressed up the rest of her.

"Now that's what I call a transformation!" Hermos whistled pleasingly.

"You look beautiful, Jun." Timaeus complimented her.

"If you're going to look like that, then I might lock you in here until the night was over." Critias told her protectively.

Jun giggled, and did another whirl.

The next night happened, and Judai was made to stand by Lady Asuka's side since at the beginning of the ball, Yubel announced her as thee Supreme Queen of the dimensions, and the future mother of the Supreme King's child. Everyone clapped for them. A majority was happy with the decision while others were either jealous or indifferent.

Jun wasn't among them since she was held back by the ojamas since one of them accidentally got into trouble with one of the visitors, and Jun needed to fix the situation. She was made to help the visitor and her family get into their outfits, and after she was done, she needed to clean the mess left behind.

After she was done, she hurriedly got ready, and hurried down the halls. She nearly trip on her heels, but she caught herself.

"Better not hurt yourself. Your legs are your best features." Casually flirted the crocodile, Cook. He was dressed in his knight armor as usual. He went to get Jun since he was her right hand man. "And must I say, you sure make one pretty lady, General Jun. Mind if a low class guy like me escort you in the room?"

Jun snorted, and then held out her hand like the princess she was. "Yes, you may."

He hooked her arm with his, and the two walked through a door that led to the upper floors of the ballroom where they saw how gigantic it was that it had several different sectons to fit the tables and dance floors.

The giant tables for the giants with portals appearing when crumbs or spills . They had guides at their feet to make sure they didn't step on anyone. The tiny people looked like they had their own rooms set up behind what looked similar to a glass closet and they were allowed to travel outside with hexagonal stones appearing and disappearing at each step. This way they are seen at Critias height's eye level. There was also tables floating at the ceiling for those who preferred to stay at the top. It also seemed that the floors were special since the heavy footsteps of the giants dancing didn't cause an earthquake.

Jun saw Critias and Hermos enjoying themselves at the buffet table. Or more like Hermos stuffing his face while Critias was making business conversations with other generals. Timaeus was dancing with DMG, and the other soldiers were enjoying themselves, too. Judai was busy greeting all the guests with Lady Asuka, Yubel, Austin, Edo and his husband Saiou at his side.

"Well I'll be. This place has everything." Cook commented with a whistle. "So what do you want to do first? Talk or dance?"

Jun smirked at him. "Dancing obviously! Think you have the crocodile feet for it?"

"I promise I'll try to keep up, but having seen you danced, I'll definitely be invisible to the crowd."

"Not my fault if I got the moves."

The two hastily walked to the dance floor, and got into position at the center.

Jun already caught people's attention since she was wearing a one-shoulder evening chiffon dress with the soft colors of the rainbow. Her waist long raven hair was made into an intricate braid with roses made and adorned with smaller, genuine, and colorful flowers in her hair She wore no jewelry, and her makeup made her grey eyes shine and her thin lips appear kissable.

She definitely appeared different. Out of place from those among her by either her dress, her scarred, uneven colored skin, her occupation or her attitude. Jun knew she stood out, and she didn't care if it looked bad. She would have it no other way because she was raised to do what she loved as long as it was nonlethal, and no one was dying by the sight of her. _  
_

Cook and her waltzed across the floor, and that caught even more stares since every time she swayed or twirled as if she was dancing on clouds, the colors of her dress looked animated. They looked as if they were shifting positions or expanding to become part of the light that shone on her.

King Fubuki soon interrupted to dance with her. Cook let them be, and the two began to waltz and talk.

"So General Jun. We meet at last. I didn't think that the woman responsible for convincing my daughter Viscaria to leave me."

"With all due respect my king, she already left when you forgot you had _sixteen_ daughters. I only helped her achieve a happiness with that freedom you gave her." She spoke passive aggressively with a small, playful smile that actually frightened the king.

"I take it that you are also mad at me for neglecting my daughter. I won't excuse my poor fathering. I deserve your hate." He spoke honestly.

Jun softly laughed. "Just like Viscaria, I don't hate you. I just have a lesser opinion of you."

King Fubuki laughed at that. "That is far more damaging to me! Is there anyway I can make up for that for a beautiful lady such as yourself? I must say that I have seen beautiful women far and wide, but never someone like yourself. You have truly bedazzled everyone in this room. Even those who do not care for dancing or beautiful women."

"I thank you for your flattery, King Fubuki, but if you are trying to persuade me to become one of your wives, then I will have to decline."

"Say that I was, may I ask why you would decline?"

"Because I'm already happy with my life. You must've gotten that hint from my earlier waltzing."

"Ah yes. The captivating way you moved with your partner certainly showed your happiness. That's the reason I just had to dance with you. I felt that I could be a part of that happiness."

Jun snorted, "That expression of happiness matched well with someone down to earth like Cook, but not for you. You need more than these simple steps." She used her light powers to contact Winged Kuriboh to get the orchestra to play a different tune.

When it played, Jun detached herself from Fubuki, and began to dance freely while at the same time she was inviting him to do the same with her. She would approach him, the two would waltz, and she would go back to dance alone with an inviting smile. King Fubuki was lost at first, but slowly he saw what she was doing, and began to dance similar to her in order to follow her flow.

Soon the two were dancing a Viennese waltz together, and attracted more attention that people lined up to see the king and queen went to see them instead. The dance floor was clear of all the previous dancers so those two could dance without worrying of others getting in the way. The orchestra saw what their music was doing, and they played with more passion to match with Jun's star quality. When they reached the end of the song, a thunder of applause sky rocketed in the room.

Jun was immediately surrounded by new fans, and was left to spend the rest of the night talking to them.

When midnight passed, she walked away from the ball with her heels in her hands. She wanted to go to sleep, but something compelled her to go to the second less gigantic ballroom of the castle. She went there, and she wasn't surprised to find Judai standing at the center of it alone.

 _Song: I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston_

He rose his hand to her without a word. Only a knowing smile. Jun hesitated from taking that hand, but she knew that she had to stop being a coward. She took that hand, and Judai pulled her forward. Both their eyes closed, the tips of their noses touched, and their lips tingled by the desire to close the gap. His hand was wrapped around her waist to keep her there, but it was loose enough to let her go. Jun did break away, but Judai made sure she was within arms reach to come back to his arms to shower her with love.

Jun wanted that love. She felt that she needed it, but her love for balance and happiness outweighed that selfish feeling. She had moments of weaknesses, but she always kept herself at a safe distance to express her apologies for hiding the truth, for the lies, and rejecting him. Judai expressed again and again that he forgave her, but that only angered her and drove her away. Without words, they argued over the matter.

Judai had too much to care for, and she vehemently expressed that she was not worth it. She was not worth anything of him. Judai kept trying to prove her wrong, and even wordlessly proposed a duel to prove it, but Jun moved her arms above her head to show that she was clear of mind and that she was not blinded by greed. The duel would only prove that she was right! Politics was on her side! The world was on her side! Love cannot happen between the two!

Judai kissed her and she was so caught in the moment that she kissed him back! Holding onto each other as if dear life depended on it! They soon found themselves on the floor and Jun silently pleaded for more.

Hours later, they were huffing for air. Their bodies were dirty with sweat and other bodily fluids while their clothes were scattered across the ballrooms.

Judai grinned after all that. "Wow! So that's what real sex feels like!"

Jun playfully smacked his head. "What do you mean real sex, idiot?" She tiredly asked.

"Well, I mean...y'know, actually enjoying it to the fullest! Doing sex usually feels like I'm just doing a weird exercise, but now I felt a connection and it felt amazing! You know I heard a long time ago from the guards about how there's a thing called make up sex. Did we do that?"

Jun snorted, "I have no idea what this is."

"The sex or about us?" Judai wasn't sure, but he sounded like he had an answer either way.

The former princess took a deep breath first, and then answered, "Both. Judai...I have bigger secrets than just being the princess Jun you knew." She bit her lips hard as her tears fell without permission. She softly whimpered, "I'm a terrible person."

Judai quickly hovered over her, and told her without a doubt, "I know that you don't want me to forgive you, but Jun, I'm not forgiving you carelessly, and I know you feel like you shouldn't be forgiven without some sort of punishment, but I don't want to hurt you even if it might make you feel better. I understand that you needed to hide because you felt guilty for being alive and didn't want to become a burden to me, but Jun, you not at least giving us a try is more of a burden on my mind than anything else. My heart won't feel at ease until then. That's why I'm willing to forgive you. Because I want us to accept that the past is the past, and I know I'll be happier with you by my side now."

"But I don't deserve you." She squeezed those words out of her through as it became nearly impossible to breathe.

"That's what you think under all that fear and sadness, but right here on the surface. Right here, right now with General Jun was was the former princess is a woman who would do anything for the people around her even when she didn't know them." Judai caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers in such a cherishing way that Jun could feel a strong heat radiating off of them. "She would do these crazy schemes, and make people challenge themselves just to see that they can do better and that they can be better. Show her scars off to show her confidence for surviving the worse monster in mankind and that was her emotions, and convince others that they could do the same. That no matter how dark a place a person can be stuck in, they can rise above it."

Jun heard his words, but she just had to correct him, "Don't speak of the darkness as such a bad place." She cleared her throat and explained, "The darkness is...a place for slumber and adventure. A place where someone can find peace and create dreams and search for hope and courage. The darkness can be a terrible place where someone has to fight to survive, but the light is just as terrible. To just be enveloped in light is like to live a life where everything is accomplished except there is no satisfaction. There is nothing worth fighting for. Thus everything loses value. Thus nothing matters and to strive for more creates chaos. That's why," She cupped Judai's face. "There needs to be a darkness and a light so every little thing does matter. The darkness is filled with so much beautiful treasure to find and the light is a place for those treasures to be dropped off at so they know where they are. Judai...I need you..." She sat up on her knees to properly confess, "I love you."

Judai stared at her with widened, brown, child-like eyes that looked confused before they grasped the situation. A huge grin of relief spread across that unking-like face.

"Jun, I lo-"

 _Song: Can I love again - 4men ft Davichi_

"NOPE!" Another female voice rang. Jun felt dread crawled across her skin. She looked behind her to see that a moon was shining from the windows, and that allowed the one person she didn't want to arrive and be looking down at them with very amused eyes. Judai was shocked by her sudden appearance, but then his mind immediately registered her pale skin, blond hair and grey eyes. "Yup! I'm the humanoid Light of Destruction, and Jun, I'm here to prevent you from creating a very big mistake! You see, you can give your love, but dear, dear, DEAR Judai cannot! Because of this!"

She changed the ballroom to show them the scene of Judai promising to only love Yubel.

Jun's face fell at the sight. She looked away and her eyes were unable to meet Judai's.

The man remembered that promise, but he wasn't aware of the finer details. He loved Yubel, but he wasn't think straight when he said that it would only be her. He was about to explain, but the Light used her powers to clean and dress Jun in a second, so she could run away.

"Wait Jun!" Judai was about to run after her, but the Light slammed and locked the doors shut.

"Ah ah! Don't try to fix something you can't!" She chuckled evilly at the vicious golden glare he shot at her. "Why so mad at me? I was only protecting my daughter from loving a man who promised to love another! And Jun is the type who takes promises veeeeeery seriously since she was taught at SUCH a young age to believe that! Now let me tell you the truth she forgot to tell you."

"Truth?" Judai was both interested but dubious.

The Light smirked.

Jun ran across the hallway and passed by Yubel.

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Jun ran away from the castle and in just a few months she came across a mission to take down a slave owner which led to the dramatic reveal that her kingdom still existed in another dimension. It turned out that she had used her power of light to teleport her kingdom after the death of her parents.

 _"CHAZZ! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM!"_

Jun used her powers to give her back her appearance and wings, but she did not resume her role as princess of her kingdom due to the fact that she was a different person, and she needed to reintegrate first. Everyone she loved seemed to have remained the same except for Daichi who became a professional scientist, husband and father. He still remained her closest childhood friend to confide in.

Timaeus, Hermos, Critias, the ojamas, and others who she cared for were allowed within the kingdom. Judai was informed about this by a soldier who had visited the place.

 _"He's having an epileptic shock!"_

Judai and Jun met again, and they fought about their future as a couple. Jun wanted Judai to uphold his promise to only love Yubel. Judai knew he should, so he wanted them to at least be connected in some way, so they agreed to a sexual affair. Despite calling it that, they expressed their feeling of love. Only lying to themselves into thinking that they weren't.

 _"Why isn't he stopping! It's been too long!"_

 _"Someone please get them out of the room!"_

After over a year and a half of the relationship, Jun was pregnant with their child. Judai wanted them to marry and be a family at his own kingdom, but Jun denied him. Lady Asuka wasn't pregnant yet, so by law, their child would be the heir, which Jun did not want. Judai respected her choice. Only Judai, her fellow generals, and her closest friends in the kingdom knew.

 _BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP..._

Jun was at Judai's kingdom's library. She wanted to read a book she knew was there, so she got in without anyone knowing. It was very late at night so she expected no one to come in while she got comfortable on a good chair and had her baby bump act as her surface.

However, her reading was interrupted by a bad feeling that something was happening to her friends. Unknown to her, Judai with her fellow generals were fighting the Light who suddenly went crazier than usual. Everyone believed that it was the start of the war, but that shouldn't be happening until six more years later.

Jun knew better than to enter the trouble, but she was worried for Judai, and the Light would never hurt her. She held onto the book and walked to its rightful place in a shelf. She felt a familiar presence approach behind her.

She was about to turn her head, "Yu-"

 _Song: Broken Pieces - Apocalyptica_

 **STAB! CRACK!  
**

Jun looked down at the sword that stuck out right through her swollen stomach. The book in her arms fell to the ground with a soft thud that was so quiet compared to when she felt back after the sword was pulled out. A pool of blood easily followed next, and her killer was not in her sight, but she didn't care for that.

She only cared for her nearly six month baby in her womb, and spoke against the pain to comfort herself and the unborn child, "I...I won't let you die...And I won't let you...be alone." The white of her skin traveled to her wounded stomach and a blinding red light shone. "Your...Your name is Crimson...because your father's favorite color is red, and mine is purple." She softly laughed, but then noticed that someone was wrong with her, and for a moment she became very afraid for herself, but then she quickly knew that only her baby mattered. She was willing to pay the price, and so before she paid, she apologized, "I'm sorry that you won't grow up with me...but if there's anything I want you to learn from me, it's that friendship is truly important...Because you'll create a bond that can heal your wounds, rise above the occasion, and you may tear each other down, too, but what true friendship doesn't..."

Jun's eyes become vacant, and the red light forms into a dragon that shot through the sky light a backwards comet. Something that caught nearly every eye throughout the twelve dimensions.

"YOU IDIOTS! YOU'VE BEEN HAD!" The Light thunderously roared in her injured state from dueling Judai and the generals. "SOMEONE KNEW THAT FEEDING THIS HUMAN BODY LIGHT TYPE CREATURES WOULD DRIVE ME MAD ENOUGH TO BE MANIPULATED!" She hurled her fists at her stomach to vomit out what looked like the lifeless bodies of light type monsters such as kuribohs and ojamas.

Judai stared at her and then back at the crimson light.

Horrifying realization donned on him and he raced to Jun's side, but the woman he loved was already lifeless. Her body drenched in cold blood that still continued to pool, that the book she read was drenched in it.

The Harsh Darkness appeared above her and sought the opportunity to take the Super De-fusion card, but when he forced them out, he stopped when he saw that they came out in five broken glass pieces.

Slowly did his form trembled in rage that he forced them back into the woman and tried to bring her back to life, but his violent acts only damaged the corpse until he made it turn to ashes. Only a single speck of light appeared and it went into the drenched book. It changed into a tome with a strange golden eye on it.

Before the Harsh Darkness could grab it, it disappeared. Not willing to lose his precious light for a new universe, he went on a blind search for it. Going after the Crimson star meant nothing since that light was no longer Jun's.

Judai arrived at the library since he knew that the red light came from his castle, and Jun always liked reading the books he had. When he saw the blood on the floor, he dropped to his knees, and his body was about to release a shock wave powerful enough to destroy a dimension, but then he suddenly...forgot his rage...He forgot the reason to be enraged.

"Why are you angry my king? There's nothing to be angry about. You have me."

Arms wrapped around Judai, and led him away from the scene.

Critias, Hermos, and Timaeus were making their way to the library, but they were surrounded by guards who believed that they have done an act of treason. They were outnumbered, so they had no choice but to escape back to Jun's kingdom, and remain at that dimension.

Pegasus told them that they shouldn't do anything since he saw the situation clearer than anyone thanks to his abilities. He foresaw something like this happening, but he learned his lesson the last time he tattle taled on fate.

Now he explained that Jun was killed but who is the murderer was unclear to him, which probably meant that Jun didn't see the killer herself. What he did know was that the red star was her killed unborn child who she used all her power to save. But due to her super de-fusion card which is the source of her power being destroyed by what must've been a mystical sword capable of doing that, the child had to go to space. Only out there contained the needed energy to sustain her life and let her become fully developed. Whatever will happen next will be a mystery.

The only thing the generals was capable of doing about this was to live their own lives while hoping that justice would be served. Critias could not accept that! He would not accept that! But there was nothing he could do to make things right without creating chaos and destruction. Jun wouldn't want that, and Critias didn't want to let her down, even if she was dead. Who she was and what she loved still meant everything in the world, and he couldn't destroy that.

In the end, the generals needed to leave to find a new place to make it easier for them to live on for Jun. They found that at Atlantis where they saw a marvelous red star in the sky.

 _Song: Everything's an illusion - Mayday Parade_

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

._._._.

A/N: ANOTHER LONG ONE! Phew! I'm sorry for the lack of editing!

Thank you **ilovevocaloid93** for being my first review!

And thank you **keroro** for your review! And please don't mind Yubel being portrayed as hateful. This story is centered around Jun/Chazz, and Yubel is protective of Judai, and Jun was indirectly the cause of his suffering, so Yubel would be on edge with some princess or general who is a potential of disaster for Judai. She's really a good person...in this sort of medieval like setting.

Thank you **Guest** for pointing out my mistake with the character options. I never wrote about Haou, so I wasn't aware of what he was called on this site.

And that is the end of Jun's backstory! We can finally get to Wadjet, Jaswinder and Xiaoling! And then the main story! Yes!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Now here is Wadjet who is still Jun. She is not a reincarnation. And here's a big surprise!

Background information of how Shu and Wadjet got together is at chapter 29 of Kiss the Crossdresser.

Shu is Syrus' past incarnation...so platonic-share-a-baby-angelshipping?

Plus, there might be some wrong science...terms of them...yeah, I don't know why I am brain dead sometimes when I write and can't remember specific terms and how to make sense of them in my writing.

._._._.

 _Song: Always with Me - Joe Hisaishi from Spirited Away  
_

After over five thousand years of her soul resting in a tome at the middle of a desert, Jun finally woke up by the strong loyal heart of a trader named Shu that was detected by the God of Light, Horakhty who was created by Jun's blood. However, Jun had no memory of her previous life, so was nameless. The kind trader named her Wadjet, and took good care of her with the tome in tow.

Shu was a cowardly man who wanted to dodge trouble as much as he could, but he was a traveling trader in this terrifying world because he had a heart for adventure. Wadjet started with no personality, and needed to be taught to speak, but when she caught the sight of people in need of help, her courage and her fighting skills was discovered to be second nature to her.

While Shu taught her the new world she lived in, she taught him how to be brave and how to fight. Her rude attitude began to show the more they spent time together, but it was endearing for the little man.

Then one day, Shu got injured, and needed to rest for a couple of days at a village near the Nile. At that place, Wadjet used her free time to talk with the locals to get to know their culture, and she told them about her travels and knowledge. She shared her skills and ideas to them that helped the locals create a better environment to live in. The people praised her as a blessing that must've came from the gods, but after she exposed her light given abilities, she was declared to be a Goddess.

Wadjet taught nothing of this, and simply continued to help the people advance their ways of living while also taking care of bandits who came to raid. When Shu got better, she wanted to continue staying at the village because she felt that there was still so much she could do. Shu understood so they separated for a few years.

When he came back, the small village became a kingdom that was declared to be Egypt with Wadjet as their Goddess. Shu and her reunited, and their friendship was as strong as ever. But Wadjet sadly told him that she aged like a Goddess would, which meant that she will live long after Shu dies. She did not want their friendship to be held by a thin string of memory since she woke with no memories once, so she decided that they would have a child who would symbolize their friendship and create a long line of descendants who will carry down that symbol.

When the people heard of this, they wanted the child to become their pharaoh. Wadjet thought that she could raise a pharaoh befitting for them, and thus a son was born, and her memories came back when he grew up to act like someone she once loved.

._._._.

"Johan?" A serene black woman called out from across the halls of the Egyptian palace. Her slender body wore a white, linen, pleated high neck dress with golden jewelry placed from head to ankles. She was bald since the long sleek black hair that she once had was shaved off in order to create wigs to protect people's heads from the harsh sun rays.

"Johan?" She called again at the garden. Her grey eyes wondered across the various plants. She could feel him nearby, but didn't want to spend more time looking. Her thin lips formed a devious grin before she shouted, "Johan, I have a present for you! It is your birthday after all!"

"Present?!" A seven-year-old boy with teal blue hair popped out of a bush. He wore a knee-length kilt, and was also adorned with jewelry to show his royal status. "Hey wait! That was a trick wasn't it! You tricked me! Mama is cheating again!" He grimaced cutely at his cheating parent.

Wadjet laughed at him. "It's what you get for acting spoiled! As the future pharaoh, you need to resist your desires, and only indulge in what you need and what you have. Like I've always said-"

"A bird who flies to the gold without realizing that it's in a crocodiles mouth is dead!" Johan finished happily despite the dark message. He then looked at his mother with adoring grey eyes. Despite being so young, he had been present in some of his mother's royal duties. He continuously witnessed her act like the divine Goddess who was kind, intellectual, wise, and absolutely sublime. She practically floated by her graceful steps, and instilled hope by her smile. She could also leave those who oppose her petrified without the use of her powers or her royal status.

There were stories from the locals who knew her before she became the Goddess of Egypt, and one of them told the story of how Wadjet lost her powers to a powerful sorcerer, but she defeated him in the end without ever losing faith in herself.

She was the hope and pride of her people. She gave them the strength and courage to face the wars forced on them. She would enter the field with them if they were to be outnumbered, and once bought Johan to the aftermath of a battle, so he could learn to cope with the deaths that he would have to live with in the future.

 _"Can't you stop the wars, mama?" He asked tearfully. He didn't like the sight of the corpses lined up. He knew some of them to be the parents of the kids he played with!_

 _"I wish I was strong enough." Wadjet answered sadly, holding her child close to her. "This is what happens when you let greed, miscommunications, and misguidance take over. Johan, you must always remember that when you become pharaoh, you have to appreciate what you have, and be careful with them...Like the trees. They can be very valuable when they are cut down and turned into something else, and you just want more and more of those things...but trees take years to grow back. A selfish pharaoh would think that he can steal someone else's trees and cut them down. What that selfish king doesn't know is that they're more valuable when they're not cut down. Trees give us the air we breathe, and so because of the selfish pharaoh's actions, everyone suffocates...Some may even die."_

 _"I don't think I can do this. I don't think I can become pharaoh if I have to see this! How can I looked at my friends! I don't want anyone to die!" He held his mother tighter, hoping that the closer he got to her, he would be safer from this horrid place that was polluted by the stench of death.  
_

 _"I know, Johan. You don't have to be pharaoh if you don't want to be. This world is scary and painful. People will point the finger at you, and blame you for the deaths of their loved ones. Others will just turn away and keep that truth in their broken hearts. People will justify the act of war by glorifying death. Even if a battle is won, the price paid is always far too great, and the tears you shed must always be hidden because if you lose your composure, the rest of your army will, too. A ruler's loving heart must be on their sleeve while the tragic side must always be hidden."  
_

 _"..."_

 _Johan looked up at his mother to see the hardened look in her grey eyes from the sight of the lined and covered corpses. The rest of her body stood on the legs of strength and glory, but behind those stone grey eyes, Johan could only imagine his mother crying, but even that image was blurry. Not once had he ever seen his mother cry. Only roared and smiled._

 _Song: Like My Mother Does - Lauren Alaina_

Since that day, Johan felt a determination to become pharaoh. He precociously saw his mother in a new light, and understood that wars were unavoidable in this world as long as greed existed, and such a characteristic was impossible to entirely eradicate even with good education and parenting. Although that was true, there had to be someone to uphold the laws and protect their world, and face the consequences of using sacrifices to do so.

Johan still wasn't sure if that was him because he was still scared, but whenever his mother was not doing her royal duties, it would put him at ease.

Outside of her royal duties, Johan's mother could be completely uncouth that it was as if she transformed from the perfect Goddess to the slob of all slobs. She hated to clean, and could be completely comfortable in her own filth. Entering her own room would require holding one's breath and having the courage to see what could not be unseen. Some people wouldn't believe the foul words she'd use, and how dirty her tactics would be like right now.

Johan grinned at his resplendent mother. "I promise you mama, I'll be the best pharaoh I can be! I've done my studies, did my daily pharaoh in training chores, and made sure I smelled good doing it!" He told her proudly.

Wadjet applauded him, "That's very good, Johan! But what I want to hear about is your friends."

"Friends?" Johan spoke the word as if it was foreign.

His mother mock gasped. "Don't tell me that you don't know what friends are!"

"I know! I know! They're the people you create a bond with! Like my bond with you, papa, my tutor and probably everyone else in this kingdom. I have a lot of fun with the kids here, but they're a little distant since I'm royalty and all. It makes me feel a little lonely." Johan looked down with a slight dejected expression.

His mother frowned at the sight, but she quickly gave him a warm smile, and held his hand. "I'm sorry that I put you in this position my dearest Johan. But you know, I'm sure your father must be returning from his travels soon with gifts for your birthday today."

"I sure hope so! I might be able to use them to trade with the other kids in town!" His eyes twinkled at all the other better toys he could have.

"There's that deviant side." She lightly smacked him, but her son just grinned while rubbing his head. That look on his face reminding her of her first love. She blocked the memory, and said, "If you weren't given the responsibility to become pharaoh, I bet you would've become a trader just like your father." She pinched one of his cheeks, and then told him, "Johan, I was not lying when I said I had a gift for you."

"So you do!" His grey eyes sparkled even brighter! "What is it?!"

"New bonds." She simply said.

"New bonds?"

"Come and see for yourself." She led her son to a room that he had never been in before, and nothing was in that room except for a gigantic stone table placed against a wall with gems placed along its body. Johan's eyes lit up at its magnificent presence despite just being a carving. His mother explained, "I personally handcrafted those gems and carved this tablet myself. Now all it needs is for you to create a spiritual bond with each of these gems, and when you do, you will be able to bring this fearsome dragon to life."

"No way!" Johan ran up to the tablet and his eyes traveled to each gem. He pointed at the lowest bottom one. "I like cats, so amethyst cat!" A pink amethyst cat appeared and bowed. The boy was beyond amazed, and he went off firing whatever he could think of from the stories that his father told him!

"Eagles are cool! Cobalt Eagle!"

"Definitely a Sapphire Pegasus!"

"Gotta have a water animal so Emerald Tortoise!"

"Hmmmm! Topaz tiger!"

"I once heard about mammoths, so Amber Mammoth!"

"And lastly...Maybe another cat, but a weird one!" A purple cat with four ears, round red eyes, and a big red pearl at its tail appeared. "This is amazing! I'll call you Ruby Carbuncle!"

"Ruby!" The cat jumped on him and the two were playing around until Wadjet cleared her throat. Johan knew that meant that he was to listen, so he stopped and everyone stood silently in front of her.

Seeing them well behaved, she started, "You certainly didn't waste anytime in creating your life long friends and partners...Johan, my gift to you is an unbreakable friendship. While some humans can be fickle with their bonds, a bond between spirit partners is always unbreakable and forever loyal. These seven will not only be your playmates but they will be your protectors and your confidants. You will never feel alone and helpless with them at your side even when all seem lost. Especially with rainbow dragon as your great beast, I know without a doubt that this dragon will protect you as Exodia does for your father."

She created Exodia to be a protector, but she feared that the immense power would be abused, so with Exodia's permission, she sealed the duel monster away, and would only be summoned by someone with a righteous heart.

The God of Light, Horakhty split herself into three gods: The Winged Dragon of Ra, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Obelisk the Tormentor, and placed them in tablets, so her power would also not be abused. Horakhty considered herself to be an extension of Wadjet's power instead of a daughter. Horakhty cared nothing for socializing nor achieving a goal. She only desired the simplistic activity of watching life go by. (She's a couch potato.)

Now, Wadjet created the Rainbow Dragon for her son, and its own powers relied on the friendship between the gems and Johan.

Such great powers she forged, yet sealed away such as her true self.

"Thank you, mama!" Johan almost tackled her down by the strong force of his hug. It woke Wadjet from her thoughts, and she heard him say with all the affection he could muster in that small body, "I love you."

Wadjet felt her chest flood with a benevolent glow. She was grateful to this world for allowing her to have such a wonderful boy. She both anticipated and feared him growing up. She was only twenty six, but due to all of her power having been given to her first child, she was a human with a light still in need of maturing and that prolonged her life. She hated how he was mortal while she wasn't. She hated the idea of having to watch him and her future grandchildren die while she remained young for far too long. She wanted to prolong Johan's and Shu's lives, but she wasn't strong enough, and she wouldn't be strong enough before their fated death came.

"There you two are!" Shu arrived at the room, and saw the gigantic tablet and new duel monsters who bowed to him out of respect. But he was not happy to see this, "Oh no, you didn't! I thought we'd agreed that I would show my presents first, so it wouldn't look so lame!"

Wadjet and Johan laughed. The mother of his child teased, "I just couldn't help showing you up! So what's your gift?" She was excited to know, but it sounded mocking to the man.

The father pouted as he took out what looked like a bejeweled beetle brooch. Johan's face lit up. "I love it! Look everyone! Papa got me a beetle! Isn't it awesome!" He showed it off to them. Shu immediately felt better that his smile nearly covered his entire face.

Wadjet gave him an awarding kiss on the cheek. "Good job."

"It's a good thing our son loves bugs so much." He said with relief while he looked over at how happy Johan was with his new spirit partners. "You are seriously going to give him that big dragon at this age?"

"The Rainbow dragon will not unleash itself unless there is danger, but it can hear and see everything clearly, but only I and Johan can hear it in return."

"Look Rainbow dragon! It's really sweet right!..I like the colors, too!" Johan proved that she was right, and the parents left him to his games.

While they walked along the halls, Shu nervously inquired, "So...Wadjet...When do you plan to go home?" He was well aware of who Wadjet truly was after she regained her memories. He was shocked and horrified by how she tragically died, and what was the true backstory behind the red star that would shine at night. However, he knew nothing about the Light of Destruction or the Harsh Darkness. Only that there was great, evil entities out there. Wadjet didn't want to risk them catching him talk in his sleep about them.

Wadjet answered with a sweet, calming voice to soothe her best friend's fear, "When Johan successfully becomes pharaoh and has a new child to take the throne, I will go back to my kingdom only to visit, but it is a dangerous journey, so I may not come back."

"Then why go at all?" Shu may travel a lot, but he could not bear the idea of never coming home to see Wadjet smile.

She answered, "There's no problem. You're bound to die soon when I choose to leave, so we'll see each other in the afterlife soon enough."

"Don't say something like that!" The short bluenet yelled at her with a funny exaggerated expression!

Wadjet giggled at his reaction, and then told him happily, "But if I do die, I may die happily, and remain in the afterlife with you without going through the process of reincarnation."

"Reincarnation..." Shu felt uncomfortable thinking about it. "I'm still a bit confused with the whole thing. I mean you told me that during your sleep in the tome, that we keep locked up in the basement, that you witnessed the flow of life and death."

"Feel, Shu, feel." She corrected him and explained, "If I could witness it, then I'd have the power to be all knowing, but due to giving free will, beings and forces are allowed their privacy."

"So you can feel where I am, but you don't know what I'm doing?"

"I can feel your motions, but I can't see it. You could just be helping someone out of a hole by pulling on their hips, but I might being thinking that you were having some raunchy sex in the middle of the desert."

"Did you really need to use that kind of example?"

"You might find a wife faster if you were more adventurous."

"I don't want to hear that from you!"

Wadjet ignored his complaint while on the inside, she was enjoying this. She went on to explain their main subject, "The flow of life isn't that complex if you bothered to stop thinking too hard. I need you to relax and listen."

"I'll try my best, but first, you're not a reincarnation right?"

"Not at all. I am still the soul that I am. I am still Jun. A reincarnation can still happen even if a soul does not pass through what people consider the afterlife. If another human being's soul had been stuck in the tome instead, their soul would've been reincarnated."

"And that's where I'm confused. What makes you an exception?"

"That I am the speck of light, and my reincarnation is set to be different than the others unless they are under special circumstances. Let's start from the beginning:

1\. The first thing to know is what is death. Death in this situation means that the soul is away from the body, and cannot return to that body.

2\. A soul can end up reincarnated no matter what circumstances it is under.

...a. Whether it be in what people consider the afterlife.

...b. Remain a ghost wandering the Earth.

...c. Or trapped in a millennium artifact. (I was in one, but I will get to that.)

...Note: If a person were to regain a physical body by magic, the time period of their reincarnation cycle restarts. How much time is put in between death and reincarnation is various among us.

3\. Reincarnation isn't for everyone however. It's only for those who had not found complete contentment with the life they lived. This is a complicated goal to achieve since what people find content with is diverse among each other, and people don't always feel content with life. There is always a road bump.

Although from what I've...felt, it's a possible goal. It has to do with destiny, which in this case is defined as how the universe formed around a person and pushes for certain events to happen in order for stability."

"Stability?" Shu was slowly getting it, but he hit a road block.

Wadjet answered, "It's like how Johan likes to stack up his toys on one another. There are various ways to stack them up without them tumbling down, and the universe is like that. It is filled with chaos because of the various creations going about, and thus, it's looking for stability. Everything created in this world is vital in creating this stability so the universe remains intact."

"Can we really create enough chaos to destroy the universe?"

"One choice can lead to a series of events that could lead up to it. A wrong choice could be made right now that will give the dangerous entities a chance to destroy this universe."

"Oh..." Shu didn't like that answer, but the universe is the universe and it wouldn't destroy itself unless it was sadomasochistic or suicidal like that. "Okay, continue please. I think I'm getting it."

"Good. So beings and forces are stacking on top of one another, but some have to accept that they have to be at the base or the top despite their opinions, but it isn't fixed. Sometimes the order of stacking needs to be changed, but not everyone's position is changed.

Groups definitely don't change.

Some people are destined to interact with others for romantic, platonic and other reasons. They all need to find contentment in who and what they are. If there was an unsolved murder mystery in the group, then they will be reincarnated. Not to play the scenario again, but in order to achieve a more satisfying ending."

"So the only way for someone to stop their reincarnation cycle is by forming a content relationship with each other, and this somehow keeps the universe stabilized?" Shu paraphrased.

Wadjet shrugged. "It's what I feel, and I usually felt a content feeling. I might be wrong, but that's theory for you. It's there, but you can't truly make out the truth."

"That makes sense since you were killed to create this universe. Even if I was a ghost and looked down at my own corpse, I wouldn't know what really is happening inside it. Please go on."

Wadjet did, "4. Where the previous soul is during the time that their reincarnated body forms depends on their circumstances.

...a. If they are in the afterlife, they will remain in the afterlife, but the nature of their soul will be copied. That copy may not become the same person as the previous soul since external factors could nurture them to become someone else. If that new soul achieve contentment with their group, then the reincarnation cycle will end. And the souls will remain separated just because."

"Just because?"

"Not all knowing remember. And stop interrupting me!" She snapped.

Shu apologized, "Sorry. Please continue."

She did again, "If one of the incarnations happened to be evil, then that person and their reincarnation can duel through some weird fate thing happening or in the afterlife. The stakes will be that if the evil incarnation loses, then they will be fused with the good incarnation, and sealed away. However, if the good incarnation loses, then both the evil and good incarnation will be reincarnated. Most likely as twins.

Destiny will have them duel again with the same stakes, and if the evil incarnation triumphs and kills the good incarnation, then that incarnation will be the one sealed, and whatever happens next is a continuous spiral involving the reincarnation cycle. There can be an ending, but how it will end depends on that soul alone, so you better watch out for who you duel. It may determine your next life."

Shu just had to ask, "Okay, I know I said I wouldn't interrupt, but can a person tell if they are a split soul?"

"Some do because of some magic voodoo or whatever, but the possibility of this whole split soul thing happening is very, very, very, very rare.

Moving on,

...b. For those who are a ghost, their souls will be within their reincarnated body, but that body will live on a copy of their nature, and if that reincarnation completes their destiny, then that previous incarnation can pass to their own afterlife with the group from that previous life. The reincarnated soul will be with theirs.

...c. For those stuck within a magical artifact like my millennium tome, they're no different from those stuck in the afterlife. Here's where I get down with why I'm different: First off, I am the speck of light. The death of my body doesn't determine when my time period for the reincarnation cycle will start. It's when the light within me is snuffed out."

"Snuffed out?"

"Like when you blow out the flame of a candle. When it's snuffed out, that's when I am truly dead, and I may be reincarnated...Get it now?!" She ended her lesson with a snap!

The blunet thought about it, and now that he heard it so many times, he thought he did.

"Mama! Papa! I wanna show Crimson my new friends and beetle! Can I?!" Johan ran toward them.

His mother happily answered, "Of course, you can! Crimson would love to see you, too, tonight! For now, we have a party planned for you!"

"Really?! Yea! This is the best birthday ever!" Johan held both his parents' hands, and they walked together to the dining hall.

._._._.

 _Song: Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder covered by Glee_

Johan ate so much food and played so much that he was worn out, but when he was reminded that he was going to see his half-sister, Crimson, he was as lively as a puppy going to get a treat. Wadjet and Shu snorted and laughed at his adorableness.

They went to his room and faced the window where they saw the red star burning brightly like the north star. They sat on the floor, held hands and closed their eyes. Soon, a rainbow of light surrounded them, and then teleported them to the inside of the red star which contained its own dimension filled with different environments that suited the duel monsters that lived within the star.

Right now, they were standing on a field of flowers and fairy type creatures were floating around harmlessly.

"CRIMSON!" Johan cried out.

Immediately a ferocious looking crimson dragon appeared in the sky, and roared a thunderous roar that shook people to its core. The dragon balled itself and shaped into a flower bud, and lowered to the ground. When it touched the surface, it bloomed in a pop, and out came a five year old girl with light brown skin, red hair styled into a mohawk, and yellow eyes.

"Yohan!" She had troubled pronouncing her J's, so she always settled for Y's. The two siblings raced to each other, and Johan caught her arms, and spun them around until she was off the ground. They shared laughs and played around. Johan showed her his birthday presents and new spirit partners, and they all played together. Crimson did acknowledge her mother and her brother's father with a kiss on the forehead before continuing to play.

Wadjet's heart clenched at the sight. She didn't know if Judai knew about their daughter living in space in order to survive. Whenever she remembered that horrid day, her stomach would clench so tightly that it was too painful to bear, and she couldn't relax until she blocked the memory.

She knew she had to see Judai again...but she knew her killer wouldn't like that. She didn't see her face, but the presence she felt was recognizable.

She understood why Yubel did what she had to do.

Yubel's duty was to protect Judai, and as much as Wadjet hated justifying the near death of her own daughter, she didn't want to hold onto a grudge that should be forgotten. Besides, Judai should not love her. His love belonged to Yubel. A promise should be kept. As a Goddess of Egypt with the name Wadjet, she upheld to that, and was always careful with her promises just like she was as Jun.

She used to feel guilty about keeping Crimson away from her father, but when she told her daughter about her father, Crimson revealed that she didn't want to care about him.

 _Wadjet found a way to reach Crimson after her memories regained, and she was beyond happy to see that she was not alone and she was happy. Thousands of years had passed, but her child was only five because her aging followed the time flow of Wadjet's former dimension. One year in that dimension was about a thousand years in the Human world._

 _Wadjet then bought Shu and three-year-old Johan to see her. Shu was beyond terrified at her dragon appearance that Crimson took on her human appearance every time he visited. Johan and her already loved each other, and Crimson didn't like how he kept growing too fast,_

 _Her mother gave her the talk about their cursed long lifespan. Crimson understood, and saw in a positive light that Johan's soul can visit her. She knew a way to travel through dimensions and even into the afterlife. She's seen what was in the stars, and she even defeated an evil dragon bully with five other awesome dragons! She was awesome, and she knew it!_

 _The Egyptian Goddess was very proud of her successes, and then figured that while they were talking about this, she figured that she should talk about her father._

 _"I don't care about him." Crimson said bluntly._

 _Way too bluntly that Wadjet was speechless. It took a full half hour that felt like seconds for both of the immortals._

 _Finally the mother found her words. "So you don't care of who your father is?"_

 _"Nope! I've been watching different dimension, and a lot of fathers like to turn their kids into bastards. Mothers do it, too, and kids are better off without them." Crimson shrugged apathetically._

 _Wadjet was happy that she looked at the bright side of things, but she needed to lay down some truths. "Okay, Crim-baby, first off, your father didn't abandon you. You were...sent her by me, so you could survive, but he thinks you and I are dead. Second, I want you to meet him. He's an amazing man, and he wanted to be the best father he could. You wouldn't believe the weird things he would do-"_

 _"I don't want to know." Crimson cut her off rudely, but Wadjet caught the sadness in her tone. The mother than realized her mistake. It was easier to forget about some loser father instead of a good one._

 _"Oh baby, I'm sorry. I-"_

 _"I saw daddy."_

 _"What?"_

 _"I know who my daddy is because uncle Critias told me about him, and about what happened." Crimson lied on her mother's lap for comfort. "He told me not to go see daddy because he doesn't have his memories about you anymore. Someone stole them. Someone stole the memories of you ever existing throughout the whole twelve dimensions except my uncles and LAD-K. Whoever did this for whatever reason might be powerful enough to hurt daddy if we show up alive. I don't want daddy to get hurt. I don't want mommy to get hurt again..." Jun felt her daughter's tears on her skirt._

 _Jun didn't hesitate to hold her daughter in a comforting hug, and coo to her, "Good girl. Good girl. You're very brave and strong and selfless. Mommy's very proud of you."_

 _Although Wadjet knew that Yubel couldn't be strong enough to hurt them since they were powerhouses, it was the politics stopping her mostly from going back to Judai. She confessed this to her daughter, and explained why it was a big deal in a very simple manner for a somewhat precocious child to understand. Judai was conquering dimensions, and is holding a stable balance to prevent war between nations and keep them on his side._

 _If they were to step in with Judai having no memories at all about Jun, then they would be cast aside. However, if Judai did regain his memories, then there would be a power struggle since Asuka gave birth to the next heir. They could do it secretly, but Judai would discover what Yubel did, and if Yubel was beheaded for her actions, that would damage Judai's reputation since Yubel was a symbol of loyalty and servitude to the king. Nations of other dimensions looked up to her and Austin as the equality that the king has for duel monsters and humans. If Yubel is killed, then Judai would lost too the trust of too many duel monsters._

 _They could never tell about Yubel, but Yubel would discover about them eventually, and Jun didn't want that woman near her daughter. That duel monster stabbed her with a sword powerful enough to break her super de-fusion card. That immensely baffled the Speck of Light that she wanted to find the sword, but she didn't where to start, and she wasn't strong enough to do a search mission, and she didn't want to put her daughter in danger._

 _There were way too many problems in reuniting with Judai since he's the king and Yubel is a sociopathic bitch._

 _Both her and Crimson agreed that he wasn't worth the trouble._

"Hey uncle Critias! Uncle Hermos! Uncle Timaeus!" Johan said hello to the three legendary knights' dragon ice statues. Crimson was being held like luggage on his arm, and she gave them an affectionate, lazy, cute, "Heeeeeey!"

Shu also greeted Wadjet's best friends who were destined to wake when the Great Leviathan planned to destroy the world by some immortal Atlatean possessed by an evil rock. She could kill the guy, but she didn't know where he was, she was busy-busy, and her friends didn't mind their fate since time doesn't matter when they sleep, and the Dark Magician girl will still be young and perky by the time Timaeus is tri-colored general didn't like that additional reason, but the three generals couldn't help harmlessly picking on the guy who was better at dueling than the rest of them.

She used her powers to project their souls as spirits.

"Hey you guys!" Hermos greeted them affectionately, and held Crimson up in the air to spin her around. Timaeus knelled for Johan and greeted him playfully as the future pharaoh before accepting the hug lunged at him. Shu just happily watched from afar before he was also held up by Hermus and spun in the air.

Critias smiled warmly at Wadjet who returned the smile. The smartest general told her, "I'm glad you came to visit. I was getting bored with sleeping...It's really good to see you, Jun."

Jun pulled him into a tight hug. "I wish I could take you home, but it looks like I'll just have to wait for your reincarnations to set the three of you free. Looks like you guys are technically dead since your bodily functions are frozen, which makes it more of a case than a body."

"How are you so sure that our reincarnations will be the ones." The man questioned as they parted.

"Who else would be more fit to save the world!" She grinned cockily for him, and then was hauled up by Hermos who also wanted a hug.

Wadjet then informed the knights of what had been going on with her while they played with the kids, and Shu also shared some of his stories with them. It was always like this for Johan's birthdays and whenever Wadjet could find the free time to talk to them and visit Crimson, which was rare, but time flew by with the frozen dragons and practically immortal child.

"The Light of Destruction and Harsh Darkness hadn't found you yet?" Timaeus inquired. Shu had bought the kids home since Johan conked out, and Crimson promised to make a cake with her friends back at her home.

The ebony woman answered, "Neither of them had visited or attacked me yet, so it's safe to say they haven't."

The generals shared a look. There was nothing else to say on that matter; other than that they were glad, and they hoped it continued like that as time flowed by.

And time did seem to flow by for Wadjet when Johan became pharaoh and married one of his childhood friends. There was no romance between the two like Shu and Wadjet, which worked perfectly. The mother, of course, taught Johan to not impregnate another woman since even if she told her citizens that firstborns aren't destined to take the throne, some of them are old-fashioned parasites, and there shouldn't be the risk of children fighting for the throne, and wives or mistresses being murdered. Just get the wife pregnant first, and if that doesn't work for a few years, then have her choose which mistress was suitable to carry the child. And once that was done, he was allowed to bang whoever he wanted, and make as many children. But not too many. They may be rich, but even royalty can become poor when there were too many mouths to feed, and droughts had the habit of happening.

And thus in a few years, they had a child. Wadjet knew her time to visit her kingdom was coming, and so she did.

She went to the Light and Darkness Kingdom, and fifty years had passed since she last been there. She reunited with Daichi first who was now seventy years old. He explained to her that their dimension's time may be faster than the King's dimension time now unlike before because of how many dimensions he united under his rule now. Not by breaking boundaries, but by connecting only their space time continuum, so that dimensions' conditions didn't destroy each other, but the king can visit them without seeing that a hundred years passed when he was only gone for a minute.

Since Crimson's home resided in the space of Judai's dimension, she aged that slowly.

Wadjet already knew some of that, but she was still amazed by how many years had gone by, and she was proud to see that her kingdom still lived prosperously. However, she feared the day that Judai finally looked at the dimension of the LAD-K. There was still stigma about light and dark type creatures mixing. She still renounced her title as princess, but she was a worried citizen, and so she came to the oligarchy and revealed who she was.

The oligarchy was more than welcomed to see her, and wished to know of what happened to her. Wadjet told them the whole truth except that Yubel was the murderer. The several different types of members of the oligarchy were rightfully enraged, but she calmed them down, "I know that my death was an unforgivable act that should be punished, but that would require to find the killer in the Gentle Darkness' kingdom. I used to be his general, but I and my fellow generals have been betrayed by him, and are claimed to be wanted for an act of treason that we did not commit. I do want vengeance, but not at the risk of my neck, or any neck in this kingdom. In my case, life living is far too precious than life revenged beyond these mountains."

"But princ-"

"I'm not a princess." Jun softly corrected the unfinished sentence. "I am a concerned citizen before you, and I only came here to be directed to someone who has all the answers that I'm allowed to know for my questions, since secrecy and trust is an establishment in this government that should be respected."

"Of course, my pri-, I - uh hum! - mean Wadjet: Goddess of Egypt. We understand why you would be concerned when the Gentle Darkness grows in power and may be looking for balance, but is willing to create that balance through scraping 'unneeded' weight. But General Ryo had aged considerably to her eighties, and our recent younger general shows promise, but you are capable of remaining young due to your special powers, that could be well appreciated at the time of war."

Wadjet was not surprised by the silent request. She expected it, and so she answered, "I have a family in my new world. Once I make sure that my son is doing his pharaoh duties properly, I shall return to this kingdom, and become not its princess, but a temporary co-general with Ryo. Once the threat of the Gentle Darkness is gone, then I will make my leave. I believe that LAD-K can remain on its feet without me like it always had."

The members agreed and were happy with the decision, and it wouldn't be that long since time passed far too fast in the Human dimension.

But first before she went back home, she went to visit Ryo. Despite being an eighty year old woman, the bluenette still held an air of calmness and beauty while standing in her armor that had been changed and improved over the years.

"Ryo!" Jun ran over to her at the dragon stables and pecked her lips with hers as a greeting. "It's so good to see you!"

"I-It's so good to see you!" The woman stuttered by the surprise. "I nearly didn't recognize you, but there's without a doubt that the starry look in your eyes belongs to the soul of my princess and always will be my princess, Jun." She declared sincerely that Jun felt her cheeks warm up by the love of her greatest knight.

"Ryo...I came to see you because I've missed you for so long. You've always been a great inspiration to me, and I've loved you since you declared to always protect me and my kingdom. You've done a marvelous job at both."

"Please..." A pained expression was transparent behind the small smile that was forced on the older woman's face. "I haven't protected you at all, my princess."

"But you have protected me." Jun insisted, and held the knight's hands firmly. Her grey eyes sparkling with pride, encouragement, and honesty. "Maybe not physically, but your hard work ethic and love had always protected me from fully succumbing to my weaknesses." She subconsciously reached for the scar on her chest, but her body was new, so it wasn't there. Ryo knew what she was aiming to touch, and she touched her clear chest as well.

Jun earnestly confessed and declared, "I became a general with the hope to be able to protect and inspire those I love just like you, and just as I will always be your princess, you will always be my one true knight no matter what you say to contradict that. I just needed you to know that before I come back, and help the new general protect this kingdom with honor and your blessing! I won't let you down!" She confidently winked.

Ryo was surprised, but she understood easily of what was going on. A warm smile crossed her face. "Then I will give you my blessing."

._._._.

Wadjet appeared within her palace, and saw by the paintings that only a few years had passed. She wanted to go see her son, but then she felt the presence. She walked to her room to see a pale woman with blond hair and grey eyes lying on her bed with a content look on her face. Wadjet was not surprised since she knew that the Light must have been waiting for her to return home after all those years. This entity was far smart than the Harsh Darkness after all.

"Don't you have a thing for being royalty! You just can't help yourself can you! You always have to have the highest rank! I mean I wouldn't be surprised if they called you queen, but they call you a Goddess! If I knew I'd get this kind of respect here, I would've come here a long time ago!" The crazy woman spoke with a mirthful tone that sounded sarcastic.

"Please don't. This is my dimension now." Wadjet sat on the edge of the bed close to her, and asked, "So how have you been?"

The Light loudly laughed, and then answered with a grin, "Oh you know! The usual! Mind controlling people! Turning them against each other! Have them show their true colors, but I don't kill anyone myself since what's out of my hands like accidents are so much surprising and funny! Oh, and sucking in the souls of rapists, molesters, cannibals, and more sick minded fucks just to keep this world clean just for you my beautiful daughter!" Whether she was sincere with her actions was hard to tell with that crazy look in the woman's eye. She was here, but she also wasn't here. The Light could see too many scenarios happening after it happened, and Wadjet held her hand to make her feel where she was. It seemed to somewhat work when those pupils stared right at her like wormholes sucking in her existence.

"You haven't bothered to visit Crimson." The mother pointed out.

The blonde dismissively waved her hand. "Eh, grandchildren aren't my thing! I don't want to poison her mind with my naughty ways! How is she?" Her voice sounded ignorantly happy and sarcastic. It really was too hard to understand this woman, but Wadjet did.

She answered with a smirk, "Precocious. My children are very insightful of me that I'm worried because I don't want them to be discouraged if they discover how much of a coward I can be when I do have my days of bravado."

"No worrieeeees! You were also a precocious brat, ya know. It's in the Light's genes to see the truth after all! Hope she isn't like me! Seeing all and all is not good within this human body! Maybe I should kill this body and create a new one that's...more connected to just this world where my speck of Light is..."

"..."

"...Light." Wadjet started, "What do you want to ask me?"

No answer came with a ridiculous squeal. Instead, the wild craziness in the woman's eyes seemed to die down to a scary dull place.

"...Just lie next to me. Even psychos like me want to take a break from being normal." the pale woman sighed tiredly.

Wadjet briefly snorted, and then leaned downward. "Yup." She swiped a tear trickling down her parent's cheek. "Those tears are definitely not normal." She lied down next to her. She felt the wet fabric beneath her, and the wetness continued to pool as her mother couldn't contain her tears.

The Light then said apathetically, "I visited your parents in the afterlife, and hoped that they could help me find you, but they didn't tell me."

"After you allowed the Harsh Darkness to kill them, and put me in a place of misery, that was them having their revenge." Wadjet still missed her parents dearly, but like every child who had lot theirs, they knew that they were in a better place where evil like the Harsh Darkness couldn't touch them.

"And that's why I didn't smite them with my powers!" The Light spoke sarcastically again. "But I do kinda enjoy their coldness. That's just the masochistic side of me, I suppose." She held her daughter too close for comfort, but Wadjet was used to such affection. "Time is distorted to me, so I don't know how long its been, and its killing the nerves of this body! I really need to make a new body!...Maybe you should, too..."

"And that where the crazy idea comes in." Wadjet smiled nonetheless. "I take it that holding the Harsh Darkness is becoming increasingly difficult for you."

"I'm being killed off more than I am killing it! It feels so good when he thrusts his dark energy right into me, but he's taking more than I can chew, so I just...need a little extra light."

"Enough to snuff out my light no doubt, and I will be reincarnated since I am like mass." Wadjet sat up with the woman still clinging to her like a koala.

"So you also foresaw this happening, huh! That's what's so amazing about you, Jun! You are just so smart!"

The proclaimed goddess retorted, "It's actually because I have been keeping an eye on you while I was resting in my tome. I could feel that the universe is giving you a harder time at regaining your strength since Judai is combining the space time continuum of the twelve dimensions. The Harsh Darkness on the other hand is throwing itself aimlessly in different parallel universes and dimensions, which is creating far more dangerous negative energy."

"Yeah, it's becoming a real hassle with that cutie! Argh! If he kills me off, I won't be able to have more fun! You gotta help me, Jun!" She detached herself from her daughter to show her desperation by writhing on her bed, and the moaning and groaning and complaining like a ranting child.

Wadjet maturely answered, "In exchange of course."

The woman perkily yelled, "To protect all that you love from the Harsh Darkness, sure! But I won't promise that I won't hurt them if I wanna hurt them! Liiiiike," A pale finger slid across Wadjet's back, and spoke with a seductive tone, "Your murderer."

"I'll never tell you, and that will be part of my revenge against you for your crimes." Wadjet declared. She didn't want the Light to do something that could destroy Judai's kingdom. The Light looked furious for a second, but then looked amused as if she found enjoyment in her punishment. Ignoring this, Wadjet also order her, "You are to never set foot in any dimension that Judai takes over, but you will protect LAD-K from his army. Do you understand."

"Mmmmmm! Yes! And I guess I'll promise that I won't hurt your loved ones in this life time."

Wadjet death glared at her, but the Light didn't say anything more. The pale woman knew she had the upper hand in the bargaining because it was either agreeing to her terms or letting her and everyone she loved die. Wadjet didn't know what the future had in store, so she let fate played its hand in things.

"How long do I have before I have to give myself to you?" She asked professionally.

The Light answered, "I'll give you about two thousand years. I still have enough of me to last for that long in this universe! But if you go to your LAD-K dimension then twenty years! If you go to the Dark King's dimensions, then two years! Fair right!"

Wadjet nodded. "Thank you...mother. You can stop crying now." The speck of light wiped away the Light of Destruction's non-stop trickling of tears.

The Light just grinned as her tears continued to pour.

._._._.

Wadjet told Critias, Timaeus, Hermos, Daichi, and Ryo about what she agreed to do with the Light. There was arguing involved, but it was pointless. Wadjet remaining alive would only give the Harsh Darkness an advantage to destroy their universe, and only the Light can stop him since her card was destroyed. She didn't know how to put it back together without Judai's help. She wasn't even sure if Judai could put it together since he was a being of darkness, and the card was made purely of her light. The Light wasn't a person who fixed things either.

So instead of keeping the shards with her, she decided that it would be put into better use if she gave them away. However, the Light informed her that only one person could have a shard since the shards were what was allowing her to be a part of the reincarnation cycle. If she gave them all away, then she won't be able to be reborn as a human being. There's also the problem where instilling such great power to individuals all at once could upset the universe's stability.

Wadjet thought that the Light just didn't want to lose her entertainment since watching the speck of light live was just so fascinating to her, but Wadjet did heed her warnings. She didn't want to test the theory out of curiosity or spite.

She decided to give Shu one of her glass shards with the lie that she had to go fight one of the scary entities out there soon, and she needed him to have the shard for his protection.

"Are you serious?! You're going to go fight those big entities!" Shu was not happy at all with the news, and even rejected the shard. "I don't need it! You need all the power you have to beat it right! Just keep those shards! You might even be able to fix the-"

Wadjet silenced him with a kiss, and then calmly said, "Shu, they threaten my previous kingdom and this universe. I have to go back to protect them. To protect all of this, and I choose you to have this shard because I know you're still destined for great things. Even in the next life if you do get reincarnated. It's true that I will need all my power to face them, but this shard can't help me. It's only powered through love, and I don't have enough to fill up all of them." She lied.

"What are you talking about! Of course you do! You have so much love in you that your heart reaches out to all your citizens! They all love you back because you do! You have such a pure and selfless heart that is so strong, courageous and beautiful! You might act like a total slob and crude woman, but that only makes you all the more endearing and genuine! How can you say you don't have enough love, when you had enough to help so many in need! You created this kingdom for the people! You cried for everyone who died for you!"

Wadjet felt her heart falter when he saw him burst to tears and continue to yell at her with strings of immature insults. She only wanted to lie, so he wouldn't become depressed when she left, but it looked like whatever she did, he would be sad for her.

So she told him the truth, and he still argued like the others did, but he came to accept her death, and promised not to tell a soul the truth.

Reluctantly, he danced with her. Wadjet could only give him the shard if he did since at the beginning before time existed, movement without words was the only way love was channeled between the speck of light and the gentle darkness. Shu wasn't a very good dancer, so they only did a simple waltz across the desert, and the shard was sent to his heart. It would grant him to live his life comfortably beyond a hundred, protect him, and transfer to his reincarnated soul when it was in dire need of it.

Shu felt her warmth in his heart, and he just had to say, "I love you, Wadjet."

His best friend smiled happily, and replied back, "I love you, too, Shu."

._._._.

In very few years, she saw that Johan could handle the kingdom well with its politics. He also handled his first war with his heart still at his sleeve, and tears kept to himself at night.

He was ready to be a pharaoh on his own, so she gave her farewell, and told her son that her other kingdom needed her. She trusted him to hold the fort and future for her. Plus when he dies, she promised to hide the rainbow dragon tablet since that tablet was his alone. Her grandson and descendants could depend on the power of the Egyptian gods. She hoped that they wouldn't forget how to summon them when they are needed.

"Mama," Johan held his mother tightly as if pleading for her not to go, but his arms didn't completely restrict her, which showed that he was strong enough to let her go. "Thank you for everything."

Wadjet smiled at the cuteness. "Don't say that like this will be our goodbye. Crimson will visit you in the afterlife since she's capable of that, and she might kidnap you, so we'll see each other soon." She gave her son a kiss, and gave her farewell to the rest of the kingdom before departing.

At the LAD-K, she spent nearly ten years helping protect her kingdom while also spending time with Daichi, Ryo and her other citizens. She would visit Crimson, and see that she did pick up Johan and Shu, but they could only be with her for about a day or two before having to return to the afterlife for a week before they can come back. Wadjet had Ryo and Daichi also visit Crimson and the frozen generals.

Wadjet certainly enjoyed her limited time with everyone, and hoped that in her next limited life, she would remember them.

 _Song: Promise - Raymond Lam and Eva Huang from The Sorcerer and the Whitesnake_

._._._.

"So this is the next dimension that we will be taking over." The Supreme King spoke at the round table where at the center was a display of a dimension, and it would zoom into the different planets to see its inhabitants.

Queen Asuka answered, "That is correct. We've sent a scout and only one kingdom denies you, my supreme king."

Edo continued, "The Light and Darkness Kingdom. It was a kingdom that was believed to be destroyed in the past, but it looked like they just moved. Pretty hardcore move to get away from the stigma of this dimension, if you asked me. It's understandable of why they would deny you."

Yubel, who dutifully stood by Judai's side, did not flinch by the news. She had already taken away any evidence of Jun's existence and any relations between Judai and the LAD-K, and the generals that woman fought with was nowhere to be found. All of the letters that Jun had written were rightfully burned for Judai's sake. "But times have changed, and they should be convinced to become one with this nation under Supreme King Judai's rule. We will send a messenger to notify them of what may happen if they do not accept our alliance. They will have their choice on how they can fight to keep their sovereignty."

Austin offered, "I'll be that messenger, my supreme king. These people may have a wrongful vendetta against you, so I should go."

The Supreme King gave this little thought. "Thank you Austin. I hope for your safety to and from the kingdom."

Austin bowed, and left the room. He traveled to the kingdom, and he was welcomed by Jun who already knew what his presence meant. She was present for the political meeting, and she was given the power to decide what would happen.

"We will not accept the alliance." She answered Austin. "The Light and Darkness Kingdom will remain a sovereign nation, and we will fight for it. However, if the Supreme King is willing to hear me out, then I demand a fake duel between him and I with only you and your General Crocodile Cook as the spectators. If he loses, then my nation will keep its sovereignty, but he will use his power to connect the space time continuum if he wishes. If I lose, then we will join the alliance."

"Is that all?" Austin inquired. He was not surprise that she knew the general since he was quite famous.

Jun replied, "Only that the king should know that time moves faster here, so if he doesn't want his opponent to be dead by the time he gets here, then he better show up fast." She challenged with a taunting tone.

Austin definitely felt that taunt, and so he hastily returned to his own dimension to realize that he's been gone for a few minutes. He told Judai of the conditions, and the Supreme King accepted them. Yubel wanted to go, but Judai denied her since his opponent only wanted Austin and one of his generals to be present. Reluctantly, the duel monster allowed her king to travel with the two men to the other world to see that days had gone by since Austin left for a few minutes.

Since the kingdom agreed to the fusion of the space time continuum, he used his card so he wouldn't be gone from his kingdom for too long.

They arrived at the kingdom, but instead of entering it, a mighty crimson dragon appeared from the sky with its thunderous roar.

"What the-! My supreme king, stay back!" Austin warned him.

But Cook chuckled and told him, "There's nothing to worry about, mate. I can see with this magical eye of mine that this duel monster has a good spirit. The young babe wants us to ride on her to get to the dueling destination."

"Really?" Austin looked at the ferocious-looking beast that laid before them patiently, and watched as his king got on her back without a problem. The guardian cursed himself for his cowardice, and got on the dragon after his king, and Cook took his seat.

Crimson created a portal to bring them to her home, but it was above the clouds where they could stand, and no one else could see them. When she dropped them off, Judai thanked her with an appreciative, friendly smile. Crimson couldn't help turning into human form to kiss her father on the forehead before running off to her mother who stood a few feet away.

"Mama! Mama! Can I stay to watch the duel?! I wanna see! I wanna see!" She pleaded while jumping excitedly.

Jun giggled at her daughter's cuteness, that she couldn't deny her, "That's only if the Supreme King agrees, my love."

"I have no problem with that. Are you my opponent?" Judai questioned. He stood before a black woman with her face covered by a golden mask forged to look like the face of a cobra. She wore her white, pleated Egyptian dress, golden jewelry, and duel disk.

Jun looked at Judai, and her heart leaped at the sight of him, and landed on sharp, burning coals. Her stomach clenched so tightly by the trauma and the guilt that she held within. She silently cried behind her mask while answering with a professional tone, "Yes. My name is Wadjet. General of the Light and Darkness Kingdom. I don't plan on holding anything back, oh great king of only eight dimensions, so I definitely expect your all at the very beginning as if this wasn't a fake duel! Do I make myself clear?!"

Austin was appalled by her rude attitude! "How da-"

"It's okay, Austin. A match is no fun without some smack talk." Judai reassured him, and then faced his opponent. "Are you sure? You might not be able to handle my power! And I heard that I'm quite too much to handle!"

"I bet your wives don't say the same in the bedroom." Jun teased as she activated her duel disk.

Judai was shocked but refreshed by her attitude, "Hey! There's children here!"

"Mama said you're terrible at pillow fights!" Crimson stuck her tongue out at him.

Jun playfully joked, "That's right, baby. He is. I bet you could whack him in one knock out!"

"I am the pillow fight queen after all!" The little red head declared. She then pointed at the king, "You haven't seen power yet until I whack you with a pillow as if a hammer was in there! It might feel like there is, but there isn't! If you notice my pillow shaped oddly, it's because that's how pillows look like here! There's definitely no hammer inside it!" She loudly whispered to her mother, "I think he's buying it and thinks there's a hammer inside, but it's really a rock!"

"Strawberry, we'll talk about that after this." She patted her innocent daughter's head.

"About what?"

"About my merits as a mother, now go stand next to that scary looking men over there." She pointed at Austin and Cook.

"Okay!" Crimson ran over to him, and stood beside him. She whispered to him, "I like your braids! And I like your snout."

"Oh...uhm. Thank you." Austin didn't spend that much time with children.

"Thank you little lady. I like your red hair." Cook casually tipped his hat to her.

The three silently watched the two opponents begin the match, and Judai started with his all that his powerful dark aura could be felt, but the woman stood unaffected. Jun's grey eyes glowed silver behind her mask. She never wanted to use her powers of light during a duel, but her kingdom was at stake, so she had to push her pride aside.

She and Judai traded blow after blow and smack talk after smack talk, but it was rated PG since a child was present. Jun accepted all the blows since it felt like her guilt was breaking away into crumbs, but they were regrowing faster. Judai was here with her and their child, and he didn't know it. That smile on his face was the definition of blissful ignorance.

She drew her cards, and her heart both faltered and rose every time she did. So many secrets, and to speak any of them could create chaos to the careful balance that Judai and everyone worked so hard to create. She wasn't worth that destruction. She looked over at Crimson, and yes, she wasn't worth the endangerment of her daughter. Jun was to die soon, and she was going to take her secrets to the grave and the others to follow!

While on the inside, she was fighting herself in this duel, on the outside, she appeared completely confident and strong.

Austin was astounded by this, "This is the first time I saw anyone not quake under the king's power. Even when they're the ones backed to a corner! It looks like she's going to lose this duel, but she doesn't stop or even pause fighting!"

Cook was also just as astounded, "I know what y'mean, mate. What's even more troubling is that I can't see into her spirit. It's like it's being blocked by some foreign powerful shield. Wait, I see something!"

"It's coming!" Crimson announced.

Jun drew her card, and she knew that this was the end.

 _"Judai...I'm sorry that this will be our last duel, and it had to end in lies. I only hope that if you ever discover the truth that you'll know that I did what I did for you, our daughter, and this universe that is our home. Trust me, if I could do anything...If I knew a way out of this nailed coffin without destroying everything*...I'd do it, but I feel time running out, and I love you too much to be selfish!"_

 _Song: Sorrow - Flyleaf_

"By making these sacrifices, I unleash the dragon who represents the soul of my people! The people who were shun by the ignorant, frightened minds of those who fail to comprehend that light and dark type creature have their right to be in love, and no harm will come of it! Only the sprain of little minds and fragile, misguided pride! Light and Darkness Dragon come forth!" Her dragon form projected from her soul.

"No way!" Cook couldn't believe what he was seeing! "That dragon isn't just any dragon! That dragon is a part of her!"

"What?! That can't be! No one should have that kind of duel energy to pull that off!" Austin no longer saw a cocky duelist! He saw a duelist at the same level as his king!

"My mommy can!" Crimson declared proudly!

Jun yelled above them, "This is the end, Supreme King! My Light and Darkness dragon has a special ability where any spell or trap card, or monster effect is negated but at the cost of 500 attack and defense points! So no matter what you pull, my dragon will stop it, and from what I see on your field with your one monster, I have enough to take you out! Go, Light and Darkness dragon! It's about time that you show this dark king the darkness within the light! Dark Fire!"

"Augh!" Judai was helpless as his monster was destroyed and his life points nearly went to zero.

But Jun wasn't done. "Then I activate the spell card, Double attack, and by discarding a monster above level 8 to the graveyard..." Jun looked down at the Blue-eyes Ultimate Dragon that was a level 12. She hesitated in discarding it because it was one of Critias' most treasured cards. She felt like she would be stomping on his heart if she used it this way at this moment.

 _"Blue-eyes Ultimate Dragon?" Jun held the card gently but firmly in her fingers. "Why are you making me borrow this for my duel against Judai? You do know that I can't summon it without the three blue-eyes white dragons, right? Not to be a bitch, but that makes it pointless to put it in my deck."_

 _"I know, but I can't be at ease unless you have that with you." Critias told her without embarrassment. "I don't necessarily care of what you do with it. Just come back a winner."_

 _Hermos arched an eyebrow at his lover with a bewildered look in his eyes, but then it soon softened to an understanding. "Just take it, Jun. I'm no blue-eyes white dragon, but in a way, it takes three ta make dat ultimate dragon, like it takes three of us to form the legendary knight of destiny! We'd give ya dat card, but we turned ta ice n' all before we could get Pegasus ta make it!"_

 _Timaeus agreed, "You may not be able to use it, but keep it as a reminder that we'll always be there for you, Jun."_

Critias did say that he didn't care of how she used it, and she let herself believe that this was them being there for her, so she sent it to the graveyard with an apology. She then continued, "Now that I did that, I can let Light and Darkness Dragon attack again, but this time she'll show the light within the darkness! Shining breath!"

Judai tried to not look away or close his eyes, but the light was so bright!...And familiar...but the familiar feeling was so small that it felt both urgent and insignificant.

"The Supreme King lost?!" Austin was too shocked to process this.

"I lost?" The Supreme king was completely baffled by this. He hadn't lost a match since he became the supreme king. This had to be a mistake, but it wasn't. His field was empty and his life points were zero.

"It looks like my kingdom will remain sovereign after all. Goodbye Judai." Jun turned away with Crimson walking by her side.

"Bye bye!" The little girl waved energetically.

"Wait! I-" But Judai found himself back at his own dimension in front of his castle's gate with Austin and Cook.

._._._.

"JUDAI LOST?!" Yubel could not believe what she was hearing! "How?! How can that happen?! He is the gentle darkness! He is the most powerful duelist throughout the dimensions! How did some general from kingdom filled with rebels do this?!"

"She had a duel monster called the Light and Darkness Dragon." Cook answered. The two of them with Judai and Austin were at the meeting room.

"...what?" Yubel whispered the word since she lost the will to breathe when she heard that.

"The Light and Darkness Dragon." Judai repeated. "The symbol of her people. Have I ever seen it before, Yubel?" He looked to her.

Yubel felt her heart thump hard against her chest. There had to be no way that woman was alive. She killed her with a sword forged with the darkest energy that could penetrate her light and kill her! It was too baffling to think about that she lost her train of thought. But then her eyes felt Judai's golden stare, and it reminded her that she needed to keep him safe. She needed to keep this kingdom safe from the truth! She collecting herself. She couldn't be found out. "No, Judai. You might be confusing that dragon with other dragons you've battled with before, and you've battled many."

That was a reasonable explanation, but Judai still couldn't let go of this small feeling trying to make something of itself to his mind.

Cook wanted to say that he also felt like he saw that dragon before, but he didn't see how that could help in their situation. None of them been to the kingdom before that duel. They couldn't have seen it before. After he was excused, he went to his guest room. To his surprise, he saw a woman sitting on his bed with flawless ebony skin, sharp grey eyes, thin lips, and long raven black hair cascading down her shoulders. She was dressed in a familiar white, pleated dress.

She was quite the looker, though a bit too skinny for his type. "I don't remember asking for this kind of room service. Not that I'm complaining, but I'm a happily married man."

The woman snorted, and then spoke with a familiar voice, "Always the charmer, aren't you, Cook." She stood up and walked over to him.

"That voice. You're-" He paused when his eye was touched by the tip of her fingers, and it shone a soft red light for a few minutes before dying down. "...Jun." He remained silent as he processed the memories given back to him, and the information transferred to his mind.

When he understood it all, he held Jun tightly in his arms with a pleading whisper, "Jun...Don't go."

The former general of this kingdom sadly curved upward against his shoulder. She told him sincerely, "I wished I didn't have to, and I wished I could resist coming to you. I just had to tell you goodbye."

Cook hated hearing those words, but as a soldier who learned from Jun, he knew when to not fight for someone to live when sacrifice was an unavoidable necessity. It would only make things harder in the aftermath for both of them. It wasn't heartless to not argue. They both felt it in their hearts of their anger and guilt, and just wanted peace for the last remaining moments.

"I'm glad you did, and not glad that you plan to take these memories from me." The crocodile frowned at her.

His former general reasoned, "I have to, Cook. You have a life here with your hot lizard wife who claims to be a dinosaur. How is she anyway? Still ending her phrases with Saurus?"

The crocodile male chuckled, "Say what you want. She's cute when she does that. And don't try to change the subject, Jun."

"I'm not, Cook." She shook her head. "I'm delivering my point that you having these memories that was stolen from you will make it difficult for you to serve Judai when you know that I'm alive and we have a daughter. Crimson knows he's her father, but even that five-year-old doesn't want anyone to get hurt like I do."

"You're talking about that cute red head, no doubt. She's just as perky and beautiful as you. I see your point. I'm a man of honor, and I feel that it is my duty to tell the king the truth, but that could create chaos since I have a good idea of who's behind this." The reptilian general never truly trusted Yubel. The duel monster meant well, but her methods could go overboard that it frightened him.

Jun didn't doubt his instincts. "It's a sacrifice that we have to make. You're a father, Cook, and Judai is, too. He already has a child. You and I don't want that innocent child to get mixed with murderous drama like Crimson did, do you."

"No ma'am."

"Of course not! So let me say my goodbye and take away your memories afterwards. Can I please do that, and not leave here like some thief who selfishly gave you something valuable, only to swipe it off your hands because I'm a terrible selfish bitch! Everything I do at this point involving my past is selfish! If I don't talk, then I am withholding the truth and that's bad! But if I do tell-"

"Jun. Jun. Jun." Cook held her shoulders, and gave a reassuring look on his face that he did not mind, and that she was overreacting. He started the goodbye, "You were the best friend I could ever have in the academy. When I became your tutor, I was looking forward to a crazy adventure, and you gave me one. You challenged me in ways I didn't know I should've been challenged about like whether I truly was the courageous man I am or if I was just being an idiot. And it turned out that I can be both, and it's not a bad thing! It takes a person willing to be an idiot to take great risks at great lengths. Unlike a genius who let facts and percentages determine the risks for me and doubt is an unavoidable roadblock on that journey with a big brain. You, Jun Manjoume, Princess of the Light and Darkness Kingdom, General of Duality, and even Goddess of the Kingdom of Egypt, made me love the idiot I am under all this cool composure. I could never thank you enough for that."

Jun got teary eyed at his compliments and appreciation. "Cook." She spoke breathlessly. She took a deep breath through the nose, and collected herself to speak, "You are the best second-in-command I could ever have. Your cool composure and quick wit helped me through the hardships of being a general. When I was in doubt, you among many people I love encouraged me and gave me strength, and protected me from myself, so I could also act like an idiot who will take risks for those she loves. Now you are a general, and I see no fitting rank for you than that, but what's even more honorable is your fatherhood because I know you're an amazing parent. Your children are very lucky to have you be their father. I only hope for the best for you and your descendants to come. I love you."

Cook felt his tears slip down his scales. "I love you, too. I hope we'll see each other in the next life."

They held each other in one last hug.

Jun held him close and whispered, "I hope for that to."

._._._.

Due to the dimensions time coming together, Jun's time was cut shorter, so in a few months, she gave herself to the Light of Destruction.

And died.

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

._._._.

A/N: So yes!

You met Johan who in Jesse's past incarnation and Jun's and Shu's son! So Chazz and Syrus are Jesse's parents from the past life. Weird...

Crimson is the Crimson dragon from Yugioh 5ds! She's only five years old, but she's insightful of those around her when they're sad or in pain.

So the reincarnation cycle is a bit...strange? I don't know if I explained it clearly.

*That comparison came from The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. It's a really sad play when you know the author's background.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N:

WARNING: I am NOT an expert of India. I made Jaswinder Indian in Kiss the Crossdresser because I wanted her to live in a country near Egypt, and I wanted her to be Asian, so I APOLOGIZE if I do anything culturally insensitive, so please expect Jaswinder to be a disappointment.

So here is Jun's reincarnation Jaswinder! She is sociable unlike manga Chazz, but she's not overdramatic like anime Chazz. She's a good balance of both of them with the self confidence within her.

So reminders for those who did not or don't clearly remember reading Kiss The Crossdresser! Embarrassingly, I don't clearly remember either, and boy, did I write so many things!

1\. Jona and Jaswinder meet a year after Atem is in the millennium puzzle, but this chapter will take place 11 years after that event.

2\. Jona is Joey's past incarnation. She is a Grecian princess, but not by royal blood since her mother (who was the crazy ass bitch of an antagonist in the story) had an affair with a man who was Kisara's father. Jona and Kisara are half-sisters. Jona revived Kisara by her dragon powers that she got from the red eyes black dragon who uses her body as a vessel and is named Pyrrhus. How Jona got her dragon powers is explained at Chapter 9.

3\. Set was supposed to marry Kisara, but she had an affair with Bakura (these two are childhood friends with Jona), and she got pregnant. Jona, who was dating Bakura at the time, discovered this through her dragon powers, and despite her rage, she helped them not get killed by Set.

4\. Set and Jona fell in love, got married so she became the Queen of Egypt, and they have three daughters: Olympia (successor as queen of Egypt), Nubiti (warrior) and Azeneth (lover of Yanara). They are all 8 years old in this. Jona is 37, Set is 34, and Jaswinder is 27. Judai should be 33.

5\. Jona actually had a son with a 13-year-old Atem (It was legal back then): Ati (Married to a big foreign king. He's into chubs.). He's 16, but at the foreign country.

6\. And Kisara and Bakura's daughter is: Yanara (successor as the queen of thieves). She's 10.

7\. Anpu is Mokuba's past incarnation. Hoda is Tristan's.

._._._.

 _Song: Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka - Shreya Ghoshal from Devdas_

She walked along quietly in the halls of the Egyptian palace. Her dark tan skin with golden undertones had intricate, elaborated mehndi painted on her hands and feet. Her long, silky, parted raven hair was braided and adorned by a ruby maang tikka. Other jewelry from earrings to golden bangles shone under the light of the burning torches. Her makeup was dark and dramatic to match with the evening. Her dupatta was used as a veil, and it sparkled like the stars. Her slender body was dressed in a burgundy lehenga-choli filled with gorgeous designs adorned with jewelry that matched the concept of her marriage to the night sky.

She stopped walking when she was in a spacious room that had wide windows that revealed the empty black night sky. Nothing was in the room except for a fire pit burning brightly. Slowly she circled the fire, and then stopped in front of those windows - in front of the night. There was no music, but the woman danced in front of those wide windows as if a beat was thumping in a melodious rhythm.

Her performance was lively but graceful. Her love and her respect to the night sky was prominent in each step and pose. The more and more she danced, the more the fire shone brighter with various colored sparks leaving its flame. She continued on throughout the night to express her love and gratitude to the night until Ra peeked through the lands. When it did appear, she paused her steps, and without warning, her mind slipped away, and she fell unconscious. Pyrrhus caught her before she touched the floor, and bought her to her bed.

The red-eyed black dragon went back to Jona who was asleep next to her husband, Set.

At the morning table where Pharaoh Set sat at the edge of the table with his wife and youngest daughter, Azeneth at his right, and his older daughters, Olympia and Nubiti at his left. His six priest sat at the rest of table.

"Is Jaswinder still asleep?" Set inquired.

Jona answered, "No. She's having breakfast with her patients. It was a request from one of the children."

Olympia huffed. "She's an adopted daughter of the royal family, and yet she acts like she isn't."

Set explained, "She is only doing her job, Olympia. When you become queen, you will see less of your sisters when they have a job of their own."

"I have to work?" Azeneth who had been sleepy was now wide awake.

The table was filled with restrained laughter. Jona placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and comfortingly told her, "Not right now."

"BUT you still expect me to work?" The eight year old looked at her mother with wide, frightened, rejecting eyes.

"There's nothing to worry about, Azzy!" Nubiti told her vibrantly. "I'll be a soldier for Olympia's army in the future! I'm sure I'll be paid enough for the both of us!"

Olympia smacked her arm. "I am not giving you special treatment! At least aim higher to general, and you might!"

Anpu deadpanned, "None of you have any faith that your sister can live on her own."

"That's like throwing a pet in the wild." The older sisters spoke in unison. Azeneth purred when Jona ran her fingers through her hair.

Set smiled at the scene. At least his daughters were cooperative when it came to taking care of Azeneth who only liked to sleep, but she had a gift for playing instruments and singing as well as Jona who sounded like a goddess.

"My pharaoh," Priestess Isis who held the millennium necklace spoke. "If I may speak, this more I foresaw a great yet gentle darkness approaching us soon. Tomorrow at the earliest. It takes the form of a king with great power but also a kind heart."

"A king with gentle darkness?" Set had met many, but none that held a darkness that would be considered 'gentle'.

"Yes, my pharaoh. I don't know how to describe it, but the king I see in my visions is shrouded with darkness, but it's...gentle. Inviting if I may say. Just like the night sky." The priestess did her best to relay her information, but even she was troubled by what this meant. Darkness and gentle did not go hand in hand.

Jona, however, smiled at the news. "Like the night sky? Oh my, maybe this is Jaswinder's future husband coming to us in the flesh to properly marry her. If such a visit is foreseen for tomorrow, then we should prepare a welcoming feast with performances. Our top performer of course will be Jaswinder."

"Now hold on the love of my life." Set had to retort, "I do not disagree with you about preparing a grand welcome to this so-called king, but Jaswinder will not be put on display for him."

The queen replied, "I supposed I am getting ahead of myself. Jaswinder should obviously decide if she wished to perform for him." Jona was not backing down from the idea. Ati was already happily married to his chubby king from a foreign country. She would have it that she gave all her children an opportunity to discover something new. Like getting into the pants of a strange, new visitor!

Set on the other hand did not favor the idea at all! "I-"

Jona smoothly cut him off as if he never said a peep, "Let's prepare the welcome, and discuss other subjects. The girls may be excused if they wish."

Set sent his wife a death glare for this smooth transition, but he let it go. It's up to Jaswinder, after all.

._._._.

"Judai, are you sure that you want to visit this kingdom?" Yubel asked her childhood friend who was being dressed by his servants. He was going in his usual dark armor with the blood red cape. "I don't see what's so interesting of visiting such a small nation, out of the thousands far more beautiful locations you could be visiting."

"Don't be like that, Yubel. I'm interested because Cook told me that this kingdom had a goddess named Wadjet! You know! The only woman who had ever defeated me! I and my people are forbidden from the Light and Darkness kingdom, but not this one! I just have to see her again and ask for a duel!" Judai could never forget it! Usually, people hated to lose, but losing the way he did made him more pump up to try and become better! It's only been a year for him since the event, and he's been spending his free time going over how to duel Wadjet again! He just had to!

Yubel was thoroughly against him having that duel, and was glad that Judai lost. Yubel had plans to destroy that kingdom with the army that she had secretly set up, so that Judai wouldn't discover the truth. Now, she didn't have to worry at all. She had seen Egypt herself, and Wadjet was nothing more than a mythical goddess.

"Did Cook also happen to mention that their gods are make believe, and this Wadjet Goddess could be nothing more than a coincidence instead of a connection? You shouldn't waste your time on some goose chase!" The duel monster rightfully scolded him.

But the duelist cleverly pointed out, "But I won't be wasting all that much time since the time there goes way faster than ours, so I won't be gone for that long! Just consider this to be my vacation! I deserve one, don't I?" He cutely grinned.

Yubel lowly growled, but she supposed that Judai did deserve a vacation. After connecting with the Light and Darkness Kingdom's dimension, it turned out that for a day equaled two months in the Human dimension, so she relented. "Alright! But you may only spend a month! Two months at the latest! Do I make myself clear!"

"Yes! Thank you, Yubel! And don't worry! I'm bringing Cook with me in his human disguise! Turns out these Egyptian guys are into crocodiles that they made one into a god! Cook doesn't want special attention, I guess."

"That's good because you are the king. Please do not make a mess of things, Judai, and be safe. If you plan on getting a wife from there, then she better be of royal status. Any less would be promiscuous of you." She instructed him.

Judai's grin widened now that Yubel agreed! He definitely didn't plan to do anything crazy, and also didn't plan on getting a wife. He never chose them in the first place. Yubel and other government officials were in charge of that. "Thanks Yubel! I'll see you tomorrow then!"

"Yes. Yes. Tomorrow. I'll take care of things from here while you're gone." It wasn't going to be any different than usual anyway. Naturally, she'd follow, but Judai was in his thirties, and didn't need coddling at a weak nation.

"You're the best, Yubel! I'm so glad that you're by my side. I don't what I'd do without you." Judai spoke truthfully, and Yubel warmly smiled at him. She was glad that Judai was happy, and everything was the way it should be.

._._._.

Jaswinder was in the middle of tying a string around a restrained man's rotten tooth and Nubiti who transformed into her dragon form. "Okay, ready set sprint!"

"RAWR!" The dragon zoomed forward with the detached tooth in tow!

"Good job, Nubiti!" Jaswinder congratulated her while applying a damp cloth on the bleeding gum. "I applied medicine onto this cloth to help disinfect it. Just apply pressure like this. Divyasri," She called to her top assistant who had pale skin, platinum blond hair and silver eyes just like thee doctor's own. "please hand me that bottle." The assistant did as she was told. Jaswinder thanked her, and then told the patient. "These are medical leaves that I advise that you chew on these once a day to keep your teeth free from future infections. It's okay to miss a day if you forget, but I highly advise you to not do that. You can buy this from one of the merchants in the village. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope that I don't have to see you in here again until you're old and decrepit."

The patient muffled his appreciation, and left after paying for the services.

"Is there a next patient?" The dark tan female inquired.

Divyasri answered, "No. You have finished all your rounds for today. Right now, Set and Jona insist that you have dinner with them after you properly cleanse yourself."

"Of course." She thanked her, Nubiti, and all of her assistants for the job for today before heading to the Nile river where she found more appropriate to bathe at, so she would be cleansed of the blood and other fluids that could contain disease.

"Hiyah!" A child jumped into the river with her, and Jaswinder was splashed on.

"Crimson! What are you doing here?" The doctor was shocked yet happy to see the six-year-old looking child.

"She wanted to visit you like usual. We are all childhood friends after all." Divyasri had followed her to the nile, and all of them were stripped naked.

It was true that Jaswinder knew both Crimson and Divyasri back when she was a child. However, both females looked just as they did when she was a child. They both claimed to be goddesses, but not from any religion that existed on Earth. Divyasri claimed herself to be the goddess of Light and Destruction. Her powers of light was quite destructive to the human body, but she only used them against those who were to be rightfully punished. Crimson claimed to be the goddess of friendship and dimensions. She was capable of traveling to any dimension including the afterlife, but her powers were limited to what she could do in those dimensions. The friendship part was just because she liked making friends.

Jaswinder had absolutely no idea that Divyasri was actually the Light of Destruction or the Crimson was her daughter from her past life. The two goddess-like females both agreed that they didn't want Jaswinder to remember who she was because of Judai, or that the Harsh Darkness was still searching for her.

Divyasri or the Light had enough energy to back the Harsh Darkness away thanks to Jun giving her the power to, but the side effects were that Jaswinder's light powers were forming a lot slower than her previous life. Despite being twenty-seven, her powers showed to not to be able to reach full maturity until she was at least thirty-two.

Judai, who the Light knew was thirty-three, had reached the maturity of his powers, and was way more powerful than the Light now. She dared not to cross him. She was not sane sometimes, but she was definitely not suicidal all the time. She still wrought destruction around her, but not around her dear, sweet daughter who she planned to kill in a few years, so she could replenish.

"Watch out!" The three daughters of the pharaoh ran into the river to clean themselves.

"Yanara, you better not be stealing our clothes!" Olympia yelled at her accusingly.

"I'm not!" But it looked like she was pocketing something behind her before stripping her clothes off. "I just wanted to bathe, too!" She ran in.

"Come on, Kisara! You must be sweating, too!" Jona pulled her half-sister-dragon into the river.

Jaswinder didn't question why they all came. She just joined in with a game of splash, and helping each other get clean for the last meal of the day.

When they were called by Hoda to get dressed, all the females got ready and went to the dining room where they each took their seats. Divyasri and Crimson were allowed since Set allowed any of Jaswinder's closest friends to dine with them. Kisara was a relative, so her family was allowed to sit with them even though her husband and daughters were thieves. Jona was still considered the queen of thieves, so it would be hypocritical on Set's part if he forbid them. Set learned to let go of his bitter rage against them since he was happily married with kids. There was no need for old feelings to hurt their children.

They all talked like a family while also discussing about business since business was never done for the pharaoh with his priests and queen.

Eventually, Jona talked about the arrival of the foreign king.

"Mom thinks he might be your husband personified." Olympia pointed out.

Jaswinder was taken aback by this assumption. "With all due respect my queen, there's no way this king could be the personification of the night sky. Even if he claims to be, I love the night sky as simply the sky."

The Light held back her raucous laughter behind her smirk. She knew they were talking about Judai. Oh, how she couldn't believe the coincidence or fate!

"You are a nyctophilia through and through." She commented amusingly.

Crimson had an idea of who they're talking about, but didn't want to say anything. She didn't want her mom to meet her dad. She didn't want her mom to be sad anymore. She was happy. "Jaswinder is already too busy with her job. She doesn't have the time to flirt."

Set wholeheartedly agreed, "You are right, Crimson. Jaswinder is far too busy with her career as a doctor, and the night sky can't possibly be made into a person, or else there would be no night sky."

Jona smirked at her husband's attempt to convince her to stop. "Perhaps I assumed wrongly. However, this sounds like an important visitor, and we should provide our best entertainment. You can spare one night to dance for this king."

"I do not mind." The ravenette was used to dancing for the public, and Jona wouldn't set up a marriage without her permission.

After dinner, Jaswinder went to her room with Crimson since the girl always slept in the same bed with her every time she visited. "Is something wrong, Crimson?"

"I...don't want you to meet this king." The red head admitted. She squeezed the hand she held. "Let's go."

"Huh? Go? Do you happen to know the king, Crimson?"

"He's not a bad person, but...he's friends with a very bad one. She hurt someone very close to me, and the king doesn't know because if he does, a lot of people will get hurt..." she lowered her head. There was a chance that Yubel might be coming, and she was scared that that monster would hurt Jaswinder. There was no reason to, but she believed that Yubel would do it for whatever reason, and she'd justify it. She held onto her mom to feel her presence; to feel the warmth that she had to live without for a year.

Jaswinder understood the little girl's fear. There are a lot of good kings with great kingdoms, but only because they have friends who do the dirty work in the background. She knew better than to question further, so she knelled down in front of the frightened child, and comfortingly told her, "Alright. If this king has his friend by his side, then we'll leave together for a vacation until they leave. I'm sure my assistants can handle everything while I'm away. Does that sound good?"

Crimson felt tears brimming. She was so scared of tomorrow. She didn't want her mom hurt. She hugged Jaswinder for dear life. Her own grandmother was going to take her away when she needs to, so Crimson did everything in her power to make sure her mom didn't suffer!

._._._.

At the streets of Egypt, people gawked at the black carriage that was pulled towards the palace. Cook in his human form, that was made possible by his pendant, was on his horse in front of the carriage. He and Judai were kept cool by the magic placed on their clothes to keep them cool.

Pyrrus alerted Jona, so she had everyone get ready at the throne room. The food, guests rooms, performers and musicians were already ready since they expected him. Jaswinder was allowed to be absent since she told Set and Jona about Crimson's fear of seeing the bad woman. So instead, the two of them were tending to the patients like usual. Divyasri stood with the other maids since she was the one to check if Yubel was there for Crimson. When Judai came with only Cook in tow, she happily told her granddaughter who relaxed.

"Okay, mommy, we can go see the king!" Crimson happily told her.

Jaswinder giggled and patted her head. "Yes, daughter." She joked.

"Aw, my two girls are so adorable together." The Light joined in this irony and hugged the two of them, and they happily giggled together. When Crimson giggled, it was so infectious that they just had to do it, too.

They first finished up on helping the patients before taking a bath at the Nile to clean themselves. While they were getting ready to join the festivities, everyone was already seated at the celebration hall of the palace. Set and Jona were seated together with Judai sitting beside the queen. He was enjoying his food while watching the performers juggle their swords while doing various acrobatic tricks. Cook was right beside him and was doing the same, but looked as if he never chewed food before. Their daughters were at a separate table and enjoying their meal. Yanara was present since Azeneth and Nubiti invited her.

A mouse-sized Pyrrhus got on Jona's shoulder and whispered in her ear. Her reddish-brown eyes glimmered at the news. She turned her head towards the great king, and cunningly asked Judai, "How are you liking your visit so far, Supreme King Judai?"

The man answered with his professional tone of voice, "It's fantastic! The food is delicious, your music lovely, and the way you duel in these 'shadow games' is very entertaining. I may consider copying it for my kingdom's trials. I made the right choice to come here! But I have a question about one of your goddesses."

"I bet you do, but please hold that question for a second. It seems that our top dancer will be performing for us after all." Her eyes slid to the cleared floors. The performers stood at the sides. The musicians were prepared. The triplets and Yanara were silent and watched the floors in anticipation. Crimson and Divyasri hid among the maids. Crimson didn't want to be recognized by the king.

Jaswinder entered the hall, and approached the center. Judai was surprised by the way she dressed since no one he's seen so far in this kingdom wore something like this with what looked like bells at her ankles. He also paused from eating to see what she was going to do.

 _Song: Main Shayar to Nahin_

When the music started, she stomped on the ground to elicit the pure sound of bells from her ankles that flowed in harmony with the instruments. Judai wasn't one for slow, artsy dances, but something about this dancer put him in a trance by every pose, facial expression, and spin she produced in her performance. He saw the story that she was relaying so dramatically with her graceful symbolic body postures, that he feared that if he looked away, he would miss a crucial detail of the story.

However before his eyes, he saw something. He saw a rainbow of light, and from his core radiated a warmth that he knew he felt before, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. It was like watching an aurora through the window of a comfy cabin with the fire place warming the room, and a beautiful voice was telling him a bedtime story that soared into his imaginations to his dreams.

 _"Judai...I'll love enough for the both of us."_

Judai gasped when he heard a woman's voice in his head. He had over a thousand wives, but none of them had this voice with a tone truly in love. A vision of a pair of thin purple lips had a lower face and neck that was half white and black.

 _"So you don't need to love me."_

 _beep...beep...beep...beep..._

Jona saw that the king and his guard were mesmerized. She whispered to her husband, "It looks like Jaswinder has another fan."

Set smirked at his wife. "You always sell yourself as a caring mother, but you're actually planning to use Jaswinder to earn his favor of having us represent as thee kingdom of this dimension."

"A queen must think for her people." Jona knew that getting Judai to fall for Jaswinder would make Egypt the top channel between the dimensions which will allow for more exports, and thus more money which equaled to power that could protect this nation for years to come. Whatever will come between the foreign king and her adopted daughter was between them. Jaswinder was a smart woman, so Jona felt that there would be no worry for any war similar to what went down in Troy.

When Jaswinder was done with her performers, she walked over to her adoptive parents' table, and greeted the king with a namaskar. "Namaste. My name is Jaswinder. I am Egypt's finest doctor, and the adopted daughter of our great pharaoh and queen. I hope that you are enjoying yourself here."

"..." Judai forgot how to talk. Cook elbowed his arm to jog his memory, and it worked. "Oh! Hi!...I...I don't know who I am." Cook covered his face with one hand by the shame of his king.

Jaswinder just politely smiled. "Don't worry. I've been informed that you are Supreme King Judai. The one who will be connecting the space time continuum of our dimension with the other eleven dimensions, and will instill peace with his great power of the Gentle Darkness."

"Right! That's who I am! Right...Do you duel?" Judai questioned, which had Cook put his other hand over his face.

Jaswinder answered kindly, "Considering that dueling here usually resulted in a penalty game where the lose suffers eternal damnation, I would have to say no, my king."

"Oh right! Right! How stupid of me! Of course, you guys wouldn't have the technology to be able to duel without anyone dying. I remember a time when dueling in my dimension was like that, but a genius inventor created a duel disk that allowed us to have fake duels, where everyone can just duel for fun! Isn't that great?!"

"I wouldn't know. I haven't dueled." She reminded him.

"Fuck! Oops! I'm sorry! That was very inappropriate of me to say to you!"

"I actually hear curse words a lot in my line of work. I do not mind. To express negative feelings through words is actually very helpful for the soul." She let him know.

"You're...you're really nice."

"To those who requires me to."

"Require?"

Set explained, "My daughter has many faces, but none of them is false. She simply has the ability to adapt to a person, and make them feel comfortable. If you require her to be kind, she will be kind. If you require her to be mean, she will be mean. If you require her to be strict, she will be strict. It's her greatest asset as a doctor since, what was it that you lived by, Jaswinder?"

"It's important for a person's soul to be well with the body." The doctor proudly answered. "It's proven to quicken the healing process, but I'm sure that you have met many dimensions that believe in that, too."

Cook answered, "We have, and must I say that you have one hell of a talent for dancing, too. We've seen plenty of dancers, but you're the first one to ever move my core that's not at all interested." He then asked, "Do you also have a dragon inside you like your family? Y'see, my eye right here." He pointed at his right eye that looked like a stone. "I don't know where it came from, but it can see into people's spirits, so the moment I walked in here, I saw the dragons inside the royal family. But fer you, I saw a rainbow of light. Any chance that you're connected to the legendary rainbow dragon?"

"Rainbow dragon?" Jaswinder felt like her answer should be 'yes', but she never met the dragon, so she answered, "Not at all. I'm sure everyone has a rainbow of light inside him. It just so happens that when I dance, it spiritually reveals itself."

"Perhaps that explains it. I'm Cook by the way. Supreme King's unneeded guard and all." He tipped his hat to her.

Jaswinder found his hat to look very amusing. She flashed a beautiful smile towards him. "It's truly nice to see a sociable unneeded guard. If you aren't needed, then perhaps you'd like to come to where I work in the palace. I'm sure it will be very educational." A small naughty glint was in her silver eyes. She was a woman with needs.

Cook chuckled, "Sorry ma'am. As much as I am unneeded, I have to do my duty to place food on the table for my wife and kids."

That naughty glint disappeared, but there was still a kindness there. "That's very noble of you, but if you ever are given a break, I'd love to converse with you over what kind of medical discoveries that you may know of in your dimension."

"I'd love to." The two of them had a soft glowing aura between them, and Judai was reluctantly in the middle of it. He felt so stupid and unloved at the moment. But his mood perked up by curiosity when his trusted general inquired, "May I ask if you have a husband yourself?"

Jaswinder's cheeks turned pink, and she looked down with a bashful, uncertain expression. Jona answered for her, "She's the wife of the night sky."

"Night sky?"

Set explained, "My daughter here is a deep lover of the night sky, that she wed the darkness, and would renew her vows every time there was a full moon because she felt that the full moon represented her close relationship with it. Does that sound crazy to you? Others who have heard of this have thought so."

"Me? Not at all." Cook didn't mind. It was better than the weird marriage couples he's seen before.

Judai answered, "It's definitely not weird! If you love something or someone, you should definitely give it your all! Man, I never thought I'd be jealous of the sky!"

Jaswinder inwardly gasped at the indirect confession. He looked over at Judai, and when their eyes met, his golden eyes turned into a shade of brown. Jona's and Set's eyes widened when they saw this. Their adoptive daughter abruptly turned away, which turned the king's eyes golden again by the rejection.

"To be jealous of a sky for having me for a wife is absurd. I am a very busy woman, which makes me a very poor spouse. What good is successful woman when she cannot convey her feelings of love properly." Jaswinder restrained the frustration pouring in her words. "Excuse me, I need to sleep early, so I may attend to my patients tomorrow." She quickly walked away without being given permission.

Jona sighed through her nose. "That's Jaswinder for you. She is the type who wants to give her love a hundred and ten percent, so she's frustrated every night when there is no full moon. She feels disconnected from the one she loves."

Judai couldn't exactly comprehend these feelings of romanticism, but the one thing he knew for sure was that Jaswinder was not happy.

After the celebration, Judai slipped away from his guest room, and Winged Kuriboh appeared by his side because he can do that. "Hey buddy! I'm looking for someone right now!"

"Kuri!" The duel monster was willing to help, and then noticed a strange, familiar aura that he felt connected with. He told Judai about it, and out of curiosity, they followed the connection to outside the palace and to the top of a sandy hill. It was really dark, so Kuriboh generated some of his light, so they could see.

At the top of the hill, Jaswinder was sitting on her knees with disappointment filled in her eyes. She saw Winged Kuriboh's light, and was surprised that Judai found her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same. Isn't it dangerous out here?"

"Only for those who don't know the desert like I do. It's safe around this time of night to wander here." She told him.

Judai took his seat next to her. Winged Kuriboh got closer to the woman, and Jaswinder welcomed him to her lap. A serene smile crossing her features. Winged Kuriboh didn't know why, but he felt a deep connection with this woman. It felt as if he was back in the arms of a parent. His light died down a little as he leaned into the searing warmth of the woman's body despite the icy night of the desert surrounding her.

The king smiled at the sight. "So...were you in the middle of talking to your husband?"

The wife snorted, "The sky doesn't talk. I'm well aware that the night sky is just a sky filled with water droplets that forms the different phrases and beauty of the sky with or without the sun. I am indeed irrationally in love with the night sky, but I cannot help myself. Whenever I look up at the dark sky with or without the celestial beings above, I feel my heart become at ease. Usually, people fear the darkness, but I feel right at home in its embrace. I doubted that anyone could ever make me fee that way, so that's why I married the night sky. So that others would know that my heart had already been taken by a great force that washes the despair within me."

"Oh really? Back there, you made it sound like you consider the night sky to be a real person."

"It's in my nature to repay back someone for their kindness." Jaswinder determined for herself. "The night sky may not be a human being, but I still feel compelled to show my love and appreciation for it."

Judai now had a better comprehension of what she was feeling. "I'm sure that the night sky knows about your appreciation and love!" The doctor was surprised by the king's sudden confident assumption. "No one, not even me who made the universe, understands how it works, but maybe the night sky was making you feel better on purpose, and it's happy to see that you're doing great! I know if I was the night sky, I'd be thrilled to see how far you come!"

Jaswinder already thought so, but to hear the man tell her that almost made it seem real. She felt content with his words, though.

"What are your intentions with me?" She asked. "I've met many different types of people around the world during my travels to discover miracles, and you don't look like the type to search for a person to share a bed with."

"I'm that obvious? Usually people can't tell until they hear the complaints from the hundreds of wives I have."

Jaswinder gave a short, cool laugh. "I could tell because you haven't drooled over the queen. Queen Jona is much like the sun that warms the body after a chilly, empty night like this. You're the first king who hadn't fallen for her beauty or lusted for her body. If you liked men, then you'd certainly would've drooled over our great pharaoh, but you didn't, so what are you other than completely uninterested in lust."

"So wait, were you interested?" The woman wasn't actually blood related after all.

"I'll only admit that I was entranced by their beauty, but that quickly changed to familial admiration. It felt like slipping a sword in its own sheath when we first interacted as if I was meant to be with them."

Judai didn't quite understand. He noted to himself that he wouldn't understand a lot of things since it sounded like this woman had a lot of complex emotions and thoughts. It sounded simple, but to break it down was like diving into a test without studying. So he just pointed out, "You're very honest with a stranger like me. Why is that?"

The doctor answered, "Let's just say that I have a good judge of character, but I could be wrong. You haven't answered of what your intentions were in seeing me."

"Oh right. I guess I want to be friends with you. I mean your dance was amazing! I usually get bored with slow dances and music, but the way you moved was out of this world! And you're a doctor?! You're perfect!"

The praised doctor snorted, "If you are looking for a friendship with me, then let me be the first to tell you that your armor looks completely ridiculous. It's amazing that you could survive in this hot weather with that black armor that should be sucking in the suns rays like a sponge, and baking you from the inside, but overall, it's superfluous and ridiculous. You even make people feel even more miserable by the heat because it just makes them more aware of how hot the sun truly is throughout the day."

"Really?!" The king was taken aback by this sudden jab of cruel words about his appearance, but it was criticism, and not a rant. "Uh...sorry, then."

"Don't apologize. Ask me for some better clothes, and what you should do to not look like an idiot over your stay. For a king who's been through eleven dimensions filled with hundreds of different civilizations, you sure don't know how to be a tourist."

"Heh heh. I guess it's because it's my first time anyone ever bothered to insult me! Yubel always told me that it was important to always look like a king! Boy, I wonder how many civilizations thought I looked weird!"

"By my guess, all of them."

"That's mean!"

"And you're a child."

The two shared a laugh.

._._._.

The next morning, Judai woke up to the sound of rustling and steps. He opened his tired eyes, and looked toward the source of the sound, and saw a naked woman getting dressed. For a second, he thought that he was back home, and went through one of his scheduled mating.

But then when he looked around the room, he noticed that it wasn't his, and then he remembered the he went to Egypt. And the woman was-

"Oh, so you're awake." Jaswinder looked over her shoulder while slipping on her lehenga.

Judai felt last night's memories flood in. They were getting along, and then Jaswinder got horny, and Judai was willing to help her work off her hormones. He was used to his body being used, but last night strangely felt more...connected. Like he actually felt some enjoyment out of it.

"G'morning!" he yawned loudly as he stressed. "Aren't you tired? We did go at it for a few hours."

Jaswinder did that short, cool laugh that she did last night. "I experienced far more vigorous exercise than last night. For someone who isn't into sex, you looked like you actually enjoyed yourself."

"Yeah, I'm shocked, too. I mean I have a really attractive queen who birth my kid, and she has an amazing personality and dueling skills, but having sex was never appealing like this." Judai wondered why that was, but it was far too complex to comprehend for him. He wondered if these were going to be his default feelings from now while he was there. "So you and the night sky have an open marriage?"

Jun braided her long raven hair that reached her waist. "Seeing as I haven't been punished yet, I supposed we do."

The king watched her dress up, and then felt compelled to tell her, "You're really hard to get. It's like what you say is simple, but it's actually complex. You act so cool and open, but I still feel like you're holding back. Are you like this with everyone?"

"Yes, but not on purpose. My father (Set) likes to call me the princess of duality. I don't mean to be complex, but I guess that's just my nature. Like how your nature is to be a child."

"Hey! We're all kids at heart!" The king pointed out.

Jaswinder just gave him an indescribable smirk before heading for the door, but it was slammed opened first to reveal Crimson, the three princesses and Yanara who looked thirsty for a liquid in the color of red fruits.

"I knew it! You seduced our precious Jaswinder, you snake! The darkness must be vanquished to purify our beloved female sister! Charge!" The girls took out their pillows and lunged themselves at him.

Judai leaped out of his bed with the blanket around his waist. "Wait! It's a misunderstanding! Jaswinder?!" He looked for her for help, but the doctor just laughed as they started whacking him with their pillows. "Ow! Ow! All the pillos are so-Ow! But one of you has-Ow! Something inside theirs that isn't feathers!"

"He's trying to deceive us!" Crimson yelled but the truth was that hers were actually filled with sand. "We know what we shall do to liars!" They tied the poor man to his bed, circled him, and began splashing water at his face while chanting, "Repent! Repent! Repent!"

"Now what is happening in here?" Cook asked, and saw that his poor king was being exorcised by little girls.

Crimson announced, "It looks like he's not repenting! We must go to act 3! Nubiti!'

The overactive girl took out a gigantic axe out of nowhere and laughed maniacally. "bwuhAHAHAHAhHEHEHEHE!"

"Okay, that's enough." Jaswinder cut in before anyone went overboard. "You girls should go on and play. Supreme King Judai will repent by helping me with my patients. I'm sure he's immune to diseases as I am."

"But what if he puts his disgusting paws on you again?" Olympia questioned.

"I can break a tree in half with one hand, Olympia. Breaking his ribs will only require my pinky finger." She flexed her powerful pinky.

The girls were persuaded, so they left the room after shooting their practiced death glares.

Jaswinder and Cook helped untie Judai. "Why didn't you stop them earlier?" The wet king asked.

"Aren't you the Supreme King? Handling little girls should've been hard, but manageable for you."

The king embarrassingly pointed out, "I usually talk with adults. I didn't know kids could be so scary. I hope my son isn't hacking visitor's body parts off back home." He took the towel that Cook handed, so he could dry himself. "Do they do this to all your night lovers?"

"Just the ones who may have a chance to persuade me to get a divorce." She flirted. "But that's impossible."

"Well...I like challenging the impossible."

Jaswinder arched an eyebrow. Their eyes met, and Cook realized that Judai's eyes had been brown this entire time. Both of their eyes were swaying with an emotion that was in the middle of fondness and love.

 _Song: This Woman's work - Kate Bush covered by Maxwell or Siren Gene_

Cook then became the witness of his king becoming a nurse for the doctor. Judai had never been sick before in his life, so the guard was not concern about his king dying from a disease. However, he wasn't sure if he would survive the onslaught created by the princesses, the thief, and Crimson. Cook recognized the little red head to be the daughter of Wadjet, but seeing how much fun his king was having, he decided not to point it out yet.

Jaswinder was very strict with Judai during her work, and would properly scold him like a mother when he didn't follow her instructions. Judai dutifully watched and helped her with her patients. It turned out that the doctor not only treated humans but also animals, so Judai learned how to care for a variety of species. He learned how to calm the panicked ones, how to restrain them properly while they were treated, how to clean, stitch or bandage their wounds, and then how to clean himself so he didn't get infected or passed on diseases.

There was always something new to learn and new people to meet, but the one event that he could never forget was when Jaswinder had to help deliver life while also trying to keep the woman in labor alive. Judai could never forget the screams that was contradicted by Jaswinder's calm voice. He could never forget the blood and other bodily fluids that came out with the baby. He definitely could never forget the screams of a newborn baby.

Even though this baby was not his own, when Jaswinder made him hold the fragile newborn in his arms, he felt his whole world change.

"Haaa. I feel like a terrible father." The brunet confessed at the roof of the palace that had torches to light the place. He lied his head on Jaswinder's lap. Crimson was with them, and she was making little braids in her father's hair. "I have a son at home. His name is Amon. He's five. A year younger than you Crimson. It's weird how I feel more like a father with you than my own flesh and blood."

"Whatever, daddy." Crimson spontaneously called him daddy over the last month, and she stuck to just calling him that. She excuse was that she really liked Judai, that she wanted to call him daddy. The clueless father accepted it since he liked her calling him dad. "So a month's passed. Don't you think it's about time that you connected our dimension's time ad go back home?"

"I could, but I was given a second month to stay here, and I like it here."

"You like it here, or do you like it because mommy's here?" Crimson gave a devious grin that shouldn't be on a six-year-old child's face, but the Light was influential.

"Nope! It's because you're all here!" He grabbed Crimson and flipped her onto his chest, and tickled her.

"Hiyah! Hahahahaha! Noooo! Mommy! Daddy's attacking me!"

"Ah, ah. You know what I taught you, Crimson." Jaswinder giggled at the cute display before her.

"Right! Ho PAH!" She headbutted Judai, and then rolled away to safety.

"Ack! Fatality!" Judai held his pained face, and then rolled off Jaswinder's lap to playfully chase after her. "I'm gonna getcha!"

"Nooo!"

The two ran around in circle like a cat chasing a mouse, and were laughing. Jaswinder was happy with just watching them, but then Crimson pulled her in as a shield, but Judai caught them both, and playfully pretended to eat them.

"Nom! Nom! Nom!"

"Noooo! Mommy and me are being eaten! Backup! We need you!" Crimson cried out.

Suddenly three dragons appeared with Yanara. "We heard your call! Attack!"

"Oh no." Judai let the females go and playfully ran away, but the little girls caught him and pretended to beat him up.

Jaswinder laughed loudly and cheerfully at them.

Cook came to the roof looking for his king after taking a whizz, but then he saw what was happening, and knew what he had to brace for.

Nubiti caught him, and loudly gasped! "It's the dragon who came to claim our princess with his vile king! We must protect her!" After tying up Judai, they went after him. Azeneth acted as Jaswinder's lazy guard. The doctor knelled on the floor, so the tired creature could sleep on her lap.

Set watched this at his throne from the mirror that Jona created for him so he could watch over them. He huffed, "Doesn't that king know his place. He should be acting like one. Not acting like an idiot!"

"Who your daughters are so fond of." Jona playfully added, and smirked at the death glare that was thrown at her. "Oh, don't be jealous my love. You're still my favorite king." She sat on his lap with a reassuring smile and look in her eyes. "Plus...can you really complain about the free time we've been having?" She kissed her husband passionately.

Set returned the kiss, but after his wife withdrew to let him breathe, he said, "I still don't trust him."

Jona resisted an eye roll. "Are you doubting Jaswinder's judge of character?"

"I'm doubting the character he'd become if they have a relationship." Set made clear. "He's a decent person now, and I'm well aware that they're lovers, but he has hundreds of wives, a queen, and eleven other dimensions to care for. Jaswinder deserves someone who can devote his heart to her."

The mother nodded to that. "That is true, but I believe Jaswinder's well aware that this happiness isn't going to last."

"I don't want her hurt." Set furrowed his brows, and scowled at the very idea.

Jona kissed his cheek. "Then my sweet pharaoh with an ocean under the glacier of your heart, how about I have a talk with her?"

"That would put my heart at ease."

"Good. And I know something that will make it melt." Jona just snapped the clasp of her dress loose, and it fell off effortlessly.

._._._.

"Jaswinder, it's time we talked about your affair." Jona told her adopted daughter.

The adopted daughter rolled her shoulders, and then got into her stance. "I knew dad would put you up to this at some point, mom."

"Remember, I'm doing this out of love...And I really love doing this with you." The half dragon got on her stance.

"Ready!" Crimson and Nubiti had their hands up to the sky. "Set!"

Judai was just coming to the court yard to see Jaswinder, but then he stopped when he saw the queen and her facing each other with their fists up. "Hey, what's happening?" He asked Olympia.

She answered, "The calm before the storm."

"The calm before..."

"GO!"

 _ **BAM!**_

Jona's forearm came to a powerful clash against Jaswinder's shin. From the looks of where they were, Jaswinder leaped forward faster than Jona, but Judai did not see that. In fact, he couldn't read Jaswinder's quick movements. Her moments were so quick, and it looked like her hits hurt, but Jona had muscles that it looked like she could take stop a stampede with her arms.

Judai for the first time in his life felt little compared to these muscular women. He was muscular himself, but seeing how they swung their limbs, his abs meant shit. Well...other than for looking really good, and Jaswinder would use them to grate cheese for some reason.

He watched the two women go at it, and felt his body tremble at each powerful clash of skin against skin. They even took to the sky, and Judai swore he saw literal sparks forming between the two.

Set appeared and Olympia was at his side at the blink of an eye as if her very existence was defined there. The pharaoh explained about how Jona got her dragon powers, and then told him, "Jaswinder on the other hand was born with the quickness that could become as quick as a lightning strike, and she has the ability to shoot them at will."

 ** _RUMBLE! SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!*_**

A strike of lightning hit the ground with a blast of flames.

"Tell me, Supreme King Judai, what are your intentions with her?" The pharaoh interrogated. "Because from what I've been told so far, you decided to remain here for another month."

"Is that a bother to you, Pharaoh Set? I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

"I'm sure you didn't, but Jaswinder is a very important person to me. You're not the only man to ever fall for her, and many had tried to buy her, kidnap her, or worse, forcibly impregnate her, so you could imagine my troubles when someone with power such as yourself becomes fascinated with someone I love. Maybe you have no intentions of having her, but if you do, let me make one thing clear," Judai knew he was far stronger than this pharaoh who only ruled a country while he was about to rule all twelve of them. However, this simple man's blue eyes silently produce a soft yet powerful wave of intimidation that would make gods tremble by it. **_"Try anything, and I won't do anything. Jaswinder can and will have you go back to your kingdom broken."_**

Judai saw Jaswinder capable of doing miracles with her hands, voice, and intelligence. It would be no surprise if she could also create destruction on a person's soul with them alone.

The king was not angry or dejected by those words. He appreciated and admired the pharaoh for being a good father. Judai believed he was a good father. He did spend time with Amon, but he never defended his son the way Set did. It was frightening to have a daughter, and raising three of them must be far more difficult since they had different bodies, and a different treatment by society because of that difference. It would take a new set of skills with tougher armor and shields to defend them while they had to forge their own swords to fight.

He replied to that threat, "From one father to another, I'll do my best not to hurt her."

Set watched him carefully, and as much as he wanted to remain suspicious of this powerful man, even he had to admit that this man was a good one in this situation. "Good."

After that, Judai spent the rest of the month pondering about his relationship with Jaswinder while doing his daily activities with everyone. He knew he loved her. He wanted her to come with him and be with him. He wanted to give her a new world and expose her to new medical knowledge, and make her happy by giving her the world.

However...Jaswinder already had a world that made her smile such a mesmerizing smile that lifted his heart, and smile back, but behind that smile...there was a secret, and it felt like a dark one.

He just needed to know, so one night he went to her room, and they made love first, so they could work away the leftover energy. When they were done, Judai lied on the bed with Jaswinder using his chest as her pillow. Ironically, it was bigger than her flat one.

He asked, "Jaswinder...?"

"Hm?" She hummed, sounding content in the darkness.

"...What are we?"

The doctor softly snorted. "Don't be a dolt. You know what we are. Ask the question that you really want to ask." She ordered.

Judai smiled at his own stupidity. Jaswinder seemed to read him with ease while he found it impossible to break the code behind her entire being. He dutifully asked, "Can we ever become more than friends?"

"No." She answered. "Because that would require you to love me, but you can't."

"Why not?"

"Crimson told me that you made a promise to a friend of yours. I believe her name was Yubel. You promised her that you would love her and only her no matter what anyone else said. Is that not true?"

Judai remained silent for a while before asking, "Love takes on different forms, so can't I give you one kind of love, and Yubel can have the other. I promised to love her only, but I wasn't specific of what kind of love."

"And that's that problem." Jaswinder explained, "People have different views of love, and if you are not specific, then you lose more than you expected to gain. You made a promise that would make up for the pain and sacrifice that this Yubel went through for you, but also unknowingly sealed the fate of your heart. You can love others out of obligation, and this love for Yubel may also be the same, but you don't have to love me out of obligation..." She paused to let her words sink in before questioning him, "So tell me what love is more than the other. A love formed out of obligation, or a love formed by happiness. When you have your answer, ask yourself if it would be fair to Yubel who gave you more than I ever could."

"...But I can't stop how I feel about you."

"You have to." Jaswinder then confessed, "And it won't be hard since I don't have that much time."

Judai did not like the sound of that. He knew that sad tone. He heard it from many who could not avoid this fate. He reluctantly questioned, "What do you mean?"

"I'm destined to die soon. Fate is going to take me."

Judai sat up, having Jaswinder sit up with him in the darkness. "What are you talking about? You know when you're going to die? How?"

"Divyasri has the power to tell when someone will die. She foretold so many people's deaths, and it happened at exactly that day." Divyasri or the Light did have this ability since she may or may not have something to do with it. But they were bad people, she claimed! "Nobody else knows except for me, her, Crimson, Jona and Set. Even if you combine the time with your dimension, I will still die within a year."

"A year?! You're dying next year?! Aren't you a doctor?! Didn't you become a doctor to prevent this?!"

"A part of it. I just don't want to suffer, and I don't want others to suffer, too. Please, don't make this harder for me. I don't know how I'm going to die, and trying to prevent it would only make things more difficult."

"How can it be any more difficult?! Jun, you can't die!"

"Jun?"

Judai paused for a moment to realize that she did say someone else's name. "Shit! I'm sorry! I just...How can you just accept that you're going to die? You'll only be twenty-eight. Twenty eight! And what if Divyasri is wrong this time! That woman doesn't look like she has it together! I see the craziness in her eyes!"

Jaswinder softly laughed. Everyone saw the hidden craziness in Divyasri's eyes, but never questioned it out of fear or indifference. "Judai...I have no choice but to accept it, and I don't want anyone to attempt to prevent it because it might turn out that what they did to prevent it only caused it to happen. I don't want anyone to specifically feel responsible for my death."

"Is this one of the reasons that you act like a cryptic? So that no one could tell that your scared? Is that why Set isn't all over me because he knows that even if I did try to steal you away, you won't last long anyway?...Fuck..." Now Judai felt afraid of death, and he wasn't the one dying.

Jaswinder wrapped her arms around him from behind. Judai leaned into the warm touch. It wasn't going to last, and he just didn't know how to properly appreciate this. He felt like he took everything for granted, and cursed himself for not visiting earlier. This woman was a blessing, and he came too late to properly savor this happiness. He couldn't stop the water droplets from soaking and slipping from the corners of his eyes.

"How am I supposed to go back knowing that you could die at any time, and I won't be there to at least protect you when that time comes?" His voice was shaky. Breathing becoming ragged. "How am I supposed to not love you now?"

Jaswinder was silent, and then answered, "I don't know."

Judai chuckled sadly but then it was choked. "...How does Crimson feel about this?"

"Crimson is six thousand year old. She witnessed people come and go, and has grown used to it, and learned to look at the bright side. Death isn't permanent boundary. Only a temporary one, so don't be sad, Judai. Be patient like Crimson, and only look forward to seeing me like a long distance friend you finally got the chance to see again."

Judai understood, but it didn't make it any easier for him to accept.

 _Song: What is Love - Veronika Bozeman from Empire_

And so, on the last days, Judai cherished Jaswinder with all his heart through being a good assistant, having Cook and Winged Kuriboh bring different gifts from food to new medical tools and books for the doctor and her family. Crimson, Divyasri, Set, and Jona didn't question his actions. The look in Crimson's father's eyes gave it away. They all silently agreed to ignore the truth, and just have fun for the last few days. Jaswinder appreciated Judai's efforts to express a love that he shouldn't have, and verbally excused them as an act of deep friendship.

When the last night for Judai's stay came, the two entered the empty celebration hall, and he danced with her. He had learned how to during the two months, and he was not great, but Jaswinder made up for his lack skill through hers.

They told their own story through their symbolic body postures with their graceful movements and spins across the floor beside each other. They had no practice, but it looked like each of their movements had been practiced or planned for weeks to look as in sync and lively as it did. They danced together throughout the night without any sign of stopping. They were so focused on each other that none of them noticed the aurora that suddenly appeared in the sky. Eventually both of their minds gave in to exhaustion, and Pyhrrus caught them and bought them to Judai's bed to sleep.

When they woke, Judai didn't want to get off of bed, and Jaswinder didn't say a word. It took Cook to announce that they were leaving for the two of them to get off the bed.

At the entrance of the palace, Judai expressed his gratitude for the amazing visit. The princesses and Yanara didn't want their punching bag to go, but they knew and accepted that they couldn't keep him. Judai lightly laughed at the little monsters. He looked for Crimson, but he didn't see her. Divyasri explained that Crimson will visit him. She was currently too busy with something.

The king was glad to hear that there would be a visit since he didn't want to leave without giving a proper farewell to someone he considered his daughter for the last two months. Divyasri held her laugh at the irony.

Judai then looked into Jaswinder's eyes with his brown eyes, and they both swayed with the emotion of love. He held her hand, and without any words, he slowly slipped away from her touch, and then turned his head and never looked back as he entered it. Cook tipped his hat to them, and they went.

Set held Jaswinder close to him. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Jaswinder nodded. "I have no regrets." She smiled contently.

Judai felt every one of his instincts telling him to stop the carriage and run to her. Just have Cook tell Yubel to wait for him a few more days. Just a week. A week is all he has left with her!

"Don't." Crimson told him.

"Crimson?!" Judai was shocked! When did she get in the carriage?!

The red head warned him, "If you get out of that carriage now, Yubel will look for you, and she won't like what she sees." Judai was a little off-put by being told that by a six-year-old child, but Crimson always seemed to be the type to read into people, and was sensitive to their pain. "It's best that you keep going. You won't find my mom there."

"Mom?" Judai was confused until he remembered the very reason he came to Egypt the first place! "You're Wadjet's daughter!"

Crimson nodded at the truth. "She died."

Judai was dumbstruck by the news. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Crimson." He opened his arms to her, and she accepted his hug. "I came to Egypt to find your mother and duel her, but I got sidetracked."

Crimson happily told him, "That's okay. I'm okay. Mom died peacefully for a good cause. Jaswinder reminded me a lot of her. Being with her is like being with mom, and that made me really happy. Being with you reminded me of dad, and I was really happy, too."

"But she's also dying...Crimson...Why don't I adopt you? I know your home is in Egypt since you have your loved ones there, but I would like it if you'd come visit me as my daughter. How 'bout it?" The king sincerely asked.

His actual daughter pondered on this, and answered, "I'll visit you after mommy leaves, and I'll give you my answer then."

Judai understood. "Alright, but always know, Crimson, I love you."

Crimson gasped at the confession, and muffled her cries while her water droplets splashed on the man's shoulder guards. "You can't love someone outside of obligaton, stpid." She sniffled.

Judai felt tears fall down his face, and forced to sound joking, "I'm sorry."

The two cried together.

._._._.

Six days agonizingly passed for Judai. A year passed and without a doubt, Jaswinder must be dead, and he had to accept it. He decided not to fuse the dimensions until the week was over.

Yubel continuously questioned Cook of what happened at Egypt, but he would only answer that he was bound by his word to not speak a word since what happened at Egypt would stay at Egypt. Yubel wanted to reprimand him, but she was more professional than that, and it looked like the trip was entirely bad. Judai was more interested in what Amon was doing like a devoted father.

He looked genuinely happy, so she assumed that a child-related incident happened back at Egypt. It wasn't uncommon for children to die in such a not advanced civilization after all.

Back at Egypt, Jaswinder lived her life to the fullest as the doctor and princess of the Egyptian royal family. She loved with all her heart and never held herself back for fear of regret. She did miss Judai, but she knew he was happy, and that made her happy.

When the time neared, Divyasri gave Jaswinder her past life memories as Jun and Wadjet. Crimson was worried of how this would effect her mother, but Jaswinder was still the same, but more understanding of her situation.

Before the Light snuffed her out, she gave Jona a shard of her broken card because she knew that the Light had been playing games with Jona's mother, and it was a mess that she hoped could be fixed without her. She then explained to her that she had to face the Light of Destruction for the sake of the universe, and gave no other details for fear that the Harsh Darkness would discover this. She gave everyone a loving, tearful goodbye before departing. She also gave one to Atem whose soul was in the millennium puzzle box. She truly wished the two had met since she loved Timaeus, and would've without a doubt, loved him.

She lastly poured a tremendous amount of love to Crimson for her patience and strength through a dance, and answering one of her questions, "Mommy. You told me that you sent letters to daddy. I have the letters he sent to you, so do you think he still has yours, but had it hidden away."

Jun answered, "Yubel most likely burned them away, but that's alright. The letters your daddy sent me is proof enough of our love."

After saying a few more loving words, the light once again killed her mother for the sake of the universe, and she was left to wait for her mother to be reincarnated once again.

Crimson then thought about her father's offer to adopt her, but she turned it down. She didn't want to be near Yubel at all. No one would want to live under the same roof as their murderer. But she wanted those letters. Those letters were the definite proof of the growing love between her parents, and she wanted to hold that love and protect it.

So she secretly went to her father's kingdom at night, and knew that Yubel couldn't possibly have burned those letters from afar. She used her dragon powers to feel for both abiotic life around this place. She then felt ashes in the waters that surrounded the castle. She walked on the waters to where she felt the most ashes were, and then used her powers to mute her actions while she turned back the time for these ashes so that they would unite and become what it originally was before.

Papers among papers whirled around her and folded so they could all fit into the bag she bought.

"Crimson!" She heard her father yell. She turned around and saw that Winged Kuriboh was with him. The duel monster must've sensed her energy since the two have met before and Winged Kuriboh recognized it, so because he had been ordered by her father to be on alert for her visit, he alerted only him.

Crimson was afraid because she was doing an act that could cause chaos so she turned into her dragon form and went off with the papers that were still folding and flying into her bag.

"Wait!" Judai yelled as he reached out to her, but could only grab a handful of these papers that she was creating a gentle tornado with. "Crimson! Please don't run away! I need to know if Jaswinder is gone!" He waited for a reply back, but she was gone. He looked down at the papers in his hand, and was surprised to see that his name was written as the recipient. "What is this?"

 _Song: Lie to me - Red_

._._._.

A/N: Oooooh shit.

So you know that Amon/Adrian was Jaden's and Alexis' son in the past life. Evil little golden-hearted child. Let's see what happens next.

 ** _Evil cackling_**

*I love that cereal when its made into treats.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: If I imagine a grown up Crimson, I'd picture Zendaya with a red mohawk and hazel eyes. She probably could pull it off.

Also reminder from Kiss the Crossdresser:

1\. Noah Kaiba survived the explosion by sending her conscience to a cloned female cyborg body and went by the name Noe Kaima (not very subtle), and Mokuba and her are in love.

2\. Noemi is Noah's past incarnation and is a sorceress. Jolyon is her big brother, a knight, lover of the queen, and is the past incarnation of Joey. Miklos is a prince, younger brother of the queen, Noemi's lover, and is the past incarnation of Mokuba. Sanchia is the single queen of Bulered and is the past incarnation of Seto Kaiba. She's scary. Like Season 0 Seto Kaiba scary, but she doesn't kill people all willy nilly...

So be prepared to meet Xiaoling, but not for that long. She's a very simple creature in a very simple dimension. Kinda like Gintama. It's funny if you can deal with not getting Japanese references, but warning, you will cry.

._._._.

 _Song: Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me) - Simple Plan_

Judai kept reading the letters. He kept reading it and reading it and reading it until the words within the letters were burned into his memory. He was confused of why these letters felt too familiar to him, and why Crimson would want them. From what he saw, she was creating them, or more correctly, putting them back together. But why? Why did he have the feeling that he knew the answer, and it made him sick to his stomach that it felt like it was trying to tighten and convulse for him to vomit out the truth.

He needed answers, and knew that Crimson had them. Firstly, he combined the Human dimension with his own card, so if he needed to bring Jaswinder here, she wouldn't be gone for too long from her home. He had a feeling that she was part of the answer. He went to Egypt without telling a soul that morning, and saw that Jaswinder's room was empty. Judai's heart sank at the sight. It obviously meant that she died just as predicted, and her things must've been either stored away or buried with her.

Jona felt his presence, and found him kneeling on Jaswinder's bedroom floor. His golden eyes were dimly glowed in the dark room, and she saw a sadness gradually ascending from the man's soul. She questioned of what he was doing here, and he forced himself to speak through the lack of air that was going into his lungs. He just had to see Jaswinder to help him, but Jona told him about how she had to go to face the Light of Destruction, and was not going to return. Judai could not process those words. He shouldn't have to since the Light was destroyed! She was gone! She defeated him! She...He wondered why he referred to the Light as a female in his thoughts. In fact, why couldn't he remember it. Yubel said it must've been because he was not entirely focused, so could only remember bits of pieces of it, but why...why is the tightness in his stomach hinting to him otherwise.

He wanted to know more, but Jona knew nothing else, and she didn't ask for more information since the situation was sensitive. Judai felt his body tremble in desperation for the truth, but he knew better than to push it from someone who had no reason to lie to him when Jaswinder was already dead.

He wanted to mourn in agony for the woman he ever fell in love with, but the hidden truth was wrecking his emotions. He left the place, and went to the Light and Darkness Kingdom, but it was blocked by a powerful barrier with flashes of lightning that struck at anyone that came close, except for the LAD-K citizens who were able to come to and from from the place. He tried to cut through it and sneak in, but Crimson appeared in her dragon form.

Judai was relieved to see her. He just needed to see her. "Crimson!" He cried out for her. "Please! What were those letters?! Who is Jun?! I feel like I should know her, but I can't remember, and it's driving me restless! The agony that I feel inside me is unnatural! Why?! Why is that?!"

Crimson felt fortunate that her dragon form didn't expose her facial expressions, or the tears she would have shed because she hated to see her father in pain. She felt obligated to tell the truth, but she didn't want anyone to get hurt. Especially when her mother wasn't around. So she unwillingly lied, "...Supreme King...You're not the only one named Judai in the twelve dimensions. A friend of mine just dropped those letters in your water on his travels. You are being restless for no reason." She felt her young heart become crushed at the disappointment that shadowed her father's features.

"...Is that so." He spoke dejectedly. "Right...that makes sense." His voice was too low that Crimson could barely hear him. "I'm just being an idiot. I'm just being an idiot. But if what you said is true, then why...why does it hurt? A misunderstanding shouldn't hurt this much. The pain isn't stopping. It's just not stopping..." He took out the letters he had hidden in his armor. He read through them again, and then handed them over to Crimson who took on her little human form to take them. "I'm sorry for reading them without permission."

"It's okay..." Crimson said without meeting his eyes as she took those letters from him. She felt so ashamed and guilty of her actions. She should've done better at secretly getting those letters. She wanted her father to feel better so she told him, "You know my mom had another name. It was Jun, and she had a friend named Judai. She really loved him, so sent these letters to him when he was very far away. Anyone who reads them would easily feel the great amount of love poured into them, or so I'm told. I'm too young to understand love, but I do get warm feelings when I read them because she sounded really happy. I'm sure that if the LAD-K wanted to be part of your rule, she would've liked being your friend, so please cheer up, daddy."

Judai felt his tense body slightly ease itself with a small acute, excruciating shift by those words. So the writer of those letters was Wadjet to someone who was also named Judai. He shouldn't be surprised. When he became king, there was a wave of little boys and girls named after him. Not one dimension, except for the human dimension, didn't have someone named Judai. He felt ridiculous for assuming that those letters were meant for him. Absolutely stupid.

He looked at Crimson, and thought that Wadjet or Jun was very lucky to have her for a daughter. He smiled at the little six-year-old. Her golden eyes were like his, but the shape of them was like Jaswinder's. Her lovely brown skin that seem to glow like the goddess she was. Her mohawk was a fiery red with the tendency to become a shade of purple when the light hit it just right.

Judai stared at her hair because he just thought to himself that he loved the color red, and he knew someone else loved the color purple, but the name remained at the tip of his tongue. If him and that person had a child and those were their favorite colors, Crimson would be the perfect name.

He knelled down and hugged her, so he could feel better, but when he held her, he remembered his duel with Wadjet and the dragon he saw. The picture of that dragon was so clear in his mind, and it began to change its form into a woman...A woman with skin that was half black and white with a pair of different wings. The left side was a devil wing while the right was an angel wing. Her mono-lidded eyes were golden, but they would change to a shade of silver that lit up like the stars. Her face held many thin beautiful features, and her sinewy body could be easily mistaken for a lanky male, but she still elicited an excitement out of people by the wordless charm that she bought forth like the sun or a strike of thunder. Her dark mohawk was just like Crimson's.

A memory stabbed threw the walls of the Forgotten, and broke free and played before his senses. He was gone from reality, and was replaying the event.

 _"So what are we going to name our baby?" Judai excitedly asked Jun who was three months pregnant. The two of them were spending time at a lake alone. Judai had just finished swimming, while Jun was reading a book under an umbrella._

 _The mother-to-be answered, "Considering that part of her identity will have to be hidden in the world, let's not give her weird names that would mean 'hidden' or 'secret', okay? I'm actually considering naming her Ryo." Jun felt that it was the obvious choice._

 _"That's a good idea!" Judai set himself before his wife on his knees and placed his crossed arms on her lap. He admired Ryo for her strength and abilities to lead. Though she was powerful, Judai was stronger than her. "But I think that's better off as a second name! Let's give her something original for her first! Like how abooooout Juju!"_

 _"Juju?"_

 _"Yeah! Because both our names start with 'Ju'!" The king grinned as if he made a genius idea._

 _Jun flat out rejected him, "Yeah, no. We are not calling our daughter a name that sounds like some bizarre spell item used by shady duel monsters who uses the dark arts for recreational use."_

 _Judai childishly huffed at her, removing his arms to place his cheek on her lap instead. "But I really want to give our daughter a name that's a combination of the both of us!"_ _He closed in on Jun's tummy, and place his hands and ear against it. "_ _So even if the world doesn't know that she's our daughter, she just has to say her name to know that we love her, and that we lo-I mean cared about each other very much." It was taboo to fall in love, which Judai found ridiculous, but the love of his universe was very strict with him keeping his promise to Yubel. "I want her to be loved forever. Maybe we should name her 'Love'." He then began cooing to the growing life. "Would you like that 'Love'? I bet you would!"_

 _Jun smiled lovingly at the adorable sight. "That name is ridiculous. You said our daughter's name have to be original and between the both of us."_

 _The man huffed at her again. "Then what do you suppose is a good name for her."_

 _The pregnant woman answered without missing a beat, "Crimson."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Crimson." The half black and white woman explained, "It's a rich, deep red that has the inclination to look purple. It's a color containing both of our favorite colors, and when people have crimson hair, people only see red, but when hit by the light just right, you can see purple. It goes with how you are the darkness, and I'm the speck of light because when I hit the darkness just right, I get what I want." She lightly tapped the book on his head with an intellectual smirk._

 _The father-to-be was silent as he processed the name, and then burst with energy, "_ _That's genius!" His brown eyes sparkled more than his golden eyes ever could. "You knew what we were gonna name our daughter that ever since didn't you!"_

 _"Hmph! Of course I would! Unlike you who likes to be a spontaneous goofball, I like to plan ahead! Hopefully, Crimson will have my planning skills and my tolerance for people like you."_

 _"And I hope that she'll get my free-spirited nature because she'll actually enjoy life with less disappointment!"_

 _"Are you calling me a cynic?!" Those were the types to be easily disappointed._

 _"You definitely can be cynical at times!" Judai joked, and got a painless whack on the head by his love's book._

 _"Shut up, and fetch me some oranges!" She ordered._

 _"Oi, oi, where's that tolerance of yours!"_

 _"It went in the garbage pile of what I'm gonna lose on this pregnancy, so you better be doing what I order, or do I have to HIT you just RIGHT?!"_

 _"I'll get it! I'll get it! Anything for the woman I really, really, really, REEEALLY care about." Judai gave her a kiss on the cheek, which Jun just huffed at before he ran off to get those oranges._

"Crimson..." Judai held the girl closer to him. His heart shattering as the truth became clear to him. "I'm better now. I should get going. Thank you for seeing me." His voice was very even, that Crimson was worried, but at least he wasn't angry anymore.

"Okay. I'm glad that you're feeling better, daddy. I love you." She told him cheerfully, and stepped away from the hug to show him a big grin that Judai knew was like his. He watched his own daughter turn into the sublime dragon that she was, and soared away to the red star in the sky.

"I love you, too, my...and Jun's daughter." His golden eyes glowed harshly like the Egyptian sun and his sonic waves lashed out to anything nearby. "LIGHT!" His roar boomed like a thunder washing away any other sound made.

A flash of lightning dropped before him and took the form of Divyasri who was the Light. A wicked grin was plastered on her face. "Please restrain your rage, my supreme king. You might hurt the kingdom that Jun loved so much."

By that warning, Judai did hold back his power, but his rage was still apparent. "Where is Jun?!" He demanded.

"Someone you know killed her human body, but she got a new body and became Wadjet, but I killed her, then she reincarnated to Jaswinder, and I killed her again. Why? It's because that Someone who tried to kill Jun had a sword that was able to break her Super De-fusion card, and because of that, she can't properly use it anymore, and because you keep combining the dimensions, it's becoming harder for me to get strong enough to face the Harsh Darkness, so Jun was gracious enough to let me use her energy to last against the Harsh Darkness!"

"Are you lying to me?!"

"Oh please, have you not remembered our relationship, oh sweet man who has the power to kill me now. I don't give a damn about pulling off tricks by acting. It's easier and more harsh to tell the truth, and I am telling you the truth. If you must know, I actually haven't been using much of my power to cause maximum chaos like I should as the Light of Destruction. The chaos I am responsible for is from the crumbs that fall off of me when the Harsh Darkness gives me a good thrust in the hole!" She referred to her white hole form in space. Her body shuddered both out of disgust and pleasure.

"Crimson..."

"She's fine. She has friends and is a hero in the human dimension as the Crimson dragon that will save that dimension from some neon painted animals and generic demonic flame. Same goes for those three generals to face some stoned dragon." She snorted at her pun. "And as much as I don't want to act like the sentimental fool, but if Egypt wasn't enough to convince you, then let me tell you that Crimson loves the both of you for your hard work and generous heart, and doesn't blame you for how things turned out. She understands that if she's discovered, then she'll become the reason that things get thrown into chaos and people will get hurt. She's only six-years-old, but that bastardized brat is precocious just like my beautiful Jun, and adventurous just like you. She only wants people to smile and help them through the hardships of their life even if it hurts her. She only wants you to be safe and happy."

The Light spoke seriously, but behind her serious expression was a devious grin at the tears that flowed down Judai's face. He remembered his love for Jun, and their plans on how to raise Crimson. Right now, this wasn't how it was supposed to go! It wasn't supposed to be like this! They were supposed to raise her together! Everyone was supposed to raise her with them! But because of one person! ONE PERSON, everything was torn apart, and he had been living a fool for the last SIX YEARS!

 _Song: Burn - Papa Roach_

He walked away from the Light.

She reminded him. "Before you confront her, make sure to find the murder weapon first!"

Judai took her advice, and went to his library and stood before the spot where there was a blood stain. He had a scientist do his work to reveal the blood stain that was just painted over. Judai had him take a sample. He then secretly went to Yubel's room alone where he ripped through the covers, threw the drawers to the floor, flipped over the furniture, and pulled away at the bricks. He found the sword hidden behind the wall that the headboard of her bed was placed against. The sword was covered in rust that smelled like blood. He left the room to head a lab where his scientists and sorceresses worked together to quickly examine the sword within two hours. That was all the time that Judai would allow them.

When they were done, they gave him the results. The blood from the library and the sword matched. The weapon contained very powerful magical properties that could slice through anything. Judai questioned if it could break his card. Both sides theorized that it could. However, they were both sure that the sword was forged by both the king and a light duel monster because the signature of these magical properties was similar to his.

Judai was bewildered by how that was possible until he remembered a day that was very strange to him.

 _"Ow!" Jun bumped her nose against the wall when Yubel accidentally bumped into her. Jun and him were taking a walk across the hallways of the LAD-K's castle that was turned into a museum in honor of Jun and her parents._

 _"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jun!" The duel monster apologized. "I wasn't looking!"_

 _"It's alright. My nose is only bleeding. Nothing's out of place." The former princess leaned forward while pinching her nose to ease the blood flow._

 _"Let me get that for you." Yubel pulled out a convenient napkin to catch the blood._

 _"You need to be careful, Yubel!" Judai told her lightly since he knew that his best friend had her slippery moments. She directed a strange look at him, but he thought nothing of it, and grinned._

Yubel had Jun's blood, and she got his when he would receive those cuts he got from having a real duel. This sword was forged by the blood of him and his love, and it was used to kill her!

That was all he needed to hear before he walked away from that lab with sword in hand, and he came across Yubel at the hallway. "Judai! I was so wo..." Her words faded when her eyes laid on the bloody rusted sword in his hand. Judai thrust that sword into the floor, and only asked, "Why?" Yubel was too shocked for words that Judai roared with a shock wave that had the land tremble the castle!

 _ **"WHY?!"**_

"Because!..." Yubel felt herself choke, but she forced the words out, "Because she could've destroyed all of this! Look at everything we've accomplished! We couldn't afford to have a weak link!"

 _ **"A weak link?! You are calling the woman who held my OWN child, OUR CHILD, A WEAK LINK?!"**_

"I'm sorry!" Yubel was compelled to scream out hoarsely!

 ** _"You're SORRY! If you were sorry, you wouldn't have taken my MEMORIES! If you were sorry, YOU WOULDN'T have killed HER!"_ ** He unleashed several shock waves that trembled the castle more! His dark energy forming into a miasma that could shroud the place with completely darkness.

"I had to kill her! You are the Supreme King!"

 _ **"NO! I was NEVER destined TO BE the Supreme King!"**_ He threw his helmet to the floor, and it rattled on the floor loudly. _ **"It was something you people made up! A mistake! I was meant to protect this world from the Light, but I was NOT destined to rule it! You people just said it was! You people believed that whatever spouted out of your mouths was the truth, but IT'S NOT! The mating between Light and Darkness monsters was never taboo! You only believed it was because it FELT right to HATE what was CONSIDERED not right! But hatred for what's harmless IS NOT RIGHT!"**_

"Was it really harmless!" Yubel screeched to the top of her lungs! "She knew that the two of you having a relationship could wreak havoc, but she wrapped her fingers around you anyway! She was the enemy! I did what was right for everyone else!"

 _ **"LIAR!"**_ The Gentle Darkness unleashed a shock wave that hurled Yubel to the wall! _**"You just keep lying one way and another! You knew Jun! She loved you, Yubel! SHE LOVED YOU! And was grateful for everything you did for me and for this kingdom! Even now, even if she's suffering, she still loves you! And for all I am, I have NO IDEA WHY!"** _ Tears formed at the edge of his lids, and he gritted his teeth from sobbing. "She forbade me from loving her because I promised to love you! She forbade me from seeing her as much as I wanted because she didn't want me to go back on my word, and because she believed that you were worth my love than she ever was! Right now I stand here, and I regret ever making that promise. You have sacrificed so much for me, Yubel, but what you took was worth more than anything you could have ever done for me."

 _Song: Sadness and Sorrow - Naruto_

Judai turned away and walked off to wherever he could. He just couldn't handle with being the Supreme King anymore when he knew now of what came of it. He knew he shouldn't run from his responsibilities, but from his point of view, his only responsibility was keeping up an illusion of unity. He didn't even know he was an illusion himself until now.

"Dad, watch out!" Crimson appeared behind him with her wings used as a shield, but they weren't enough against the powerful sword. "AAH!"

Judai turned around, and saw her daughter fall to the ground with her wings damaged. Yubel rose her sword at her. "Don't worry, Judai! Everything will be great again!"

"Crimson!" Judai shielded her and used his shock wave to repel the attack, but the sword sliced through it and impaled into his chest.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Crimson screamed.

Yubel gasped. She tried to remove the sword, but it wouldn't come out. Judai's blood spilled to the floor, and as he was shaken, some of it sprayed onto his daughter, who was too shocked to move. Yubel soon gave up, and just held him in her arms.

 _Song: We were in love - T-ara ft. Davichi_

"No! Judai! Judai! I'm sorry! Please forget! Please forget! I'll make you forget!" Yubel said an incantation that had the sword light up, but as it did, Judai's power became unstable by the lack of control he could do. His body became entirely black, and then turned white.

The Light arrived just in time to take Crimson away before the dimension was completely eradicated by the explosion. "Oh jeez, I just wanted to see a friendship destroyed! Not a dimension! It's no fun when there's less people to play with." She huffed, and then treated Crimson's wounded wings, but saw that the sword did a real number on them. Well, it's not like she needed them, so she let it look like a pair of skeleton wings. They looked cooler anyway.

"The..." Crimson spoke after some time, but it didn't sound like she was all there. "Everyone...dad...they're dead."

"It's okay. They'll reincarnate. And maybe this time, that crazy Yubel chick won't be a part of it. And your parents will meet, and fall in love, and then I kill your mom for her energy, and it'll be a repeat after repeat with small differences." The Light shrugged. "Just rest Crimson, and I'll keep you young, and I'll wake you when your mom or dad is reincarnated. How about that?"

"O...okay. But what will happen to the dimensions now that my father is dead?"

"Hm? Oh, right, about that. It looks like that forget spell sprinkled on a lot of people, that some of them completely forgotten about the king, or they know there is one, but memory's all fuzzy. Looks like it's gonna happen again. Legends about your father is heard throughout the dimensions, and nothing about the speck of light's power. Also, while you were out of it, Jona died, but her body's stuck at that dimension with a shred of your father's spirit there."

"My father's spirit? Then I-"

"Don't bother. Your father's reincarnation works like your mother's, so that spirit is just a broken fragment of it. I'll do a little fixing with that, but not too much because something interesting could happen. Don't worry, little one. I'll cause chaos, but there's a future. I ain't the Light for nothing, so go to sleep. I'll tell your friends."

Crimson took her advice, and slept. She didn't want to go through this without her mother.

._._._.

 _Song: Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet_

A little sorceress by the name of Noemi wanted a cat, so she created one without realizing that she reincarnated the speck of light. The kitten was named Xiaoling, and she was symmetrically half black and white with grey eyes. The two became inseparable best friends.

The Light found her, and woke Crimson like she promised. Crimson reunited with her mother, and met Noemi and Jolyon, and it was at a bar where apparently Xiaoling was able to turn into a female with half pale white and half dark brown skin, and she was causing chaos for the drinkers like a bull rider jumping on all the bulls, and taking them for a swing in a contained room.

Crimson's eyes lit up at the sight of her mother being happy. She wanted to run into her arms, but she remembered what she did. She wanted to run away instead, but Noemi and Jolyon stopped her with their legs extended at the door. Noemi sported an angry face while Jolyon sported a carefree one. They were both curious about the red head since a little girl didn't just waltz in a dangerous bar everyday.

At their cozy cottage home, she explained to them and her mother about who Xiaoling was in her past lives and their relationship. She then confessed and showed them what she did to the dimension that was destroyed. She didn't know of what their reaction were going to be. She definitely didn't expect to be petted by three hands, and the three of them saying, "There, there, little rooster."

Noemi who swore like a sailor tried to explain with minimal cuss words that shit always go down in history, so it's best to look forward to progress. Let the wounds turn into scars, and become a lesson to those who see them! Misery is a drag on progress, so do carry a lump on your shoulder if the misery came from a sin, but not too much, otherwise both lives were wasted.

"So what I'm getting here, short stack," Noemi laid it down for her, "Is that you feel responsible for blowing up a dimension? Well, here's the truth. Adults are always the one who's responsible. Kids create shit for a living. I nearly accidentally killed my family because my dumbass of a father left me alone in front of the fuckin' fireplace, and my dumbfuck brain wanted to play with the fags because I was a dumb, clueless fuck. You're a dumb, clueless fuck, kid. You ain't responsible for anyone until you're fuckin' thirteen."

"Why thirteen?" The six-year-old asked. She got used to the swearing.

"Because twelve is when you should have or already had your puberty, and your parents will have to give you the sex talk and all that other shit because your damn hormones are rushing. And you start to get ugly with zits and blemishes, and you feel a lot of fucked up feelings. And that's what an adult feels like. And from what I see, you're only over three feet tall, a beautiful, clean face, and you feel fucked up, when you shouldn't. So hear it from me. You aren't responsible. Your dad trusted a fuckin' psychopath who was about to kill him because he dumped her. If anything, it's his fault."

"But dad's a good person!"

"Good people can be retards who can accidentally cause or get into incidents."

Crimson fell silent.

Accidentally cause or get into incidents.

 _beep...beep...beep..._

 _"Good. He's back with us again."_

Crimson slowly understood what Noemi was talking about. "But if I hadn't wanted to have those letters..."

"Don't do it again." Noemi told her straight. "You know what you did wrong, so now you can just sit here and feel bad, which makes you a useless dumbfuck, or you can start learning from your mistake, move on to become a better person, and make your father proud. You've seen the afterlife, haven't you, so those who deserved to be happy, is happy, and probably don't give a shit about you or what you did. So take your time to decide what to do, and if you take too long, then you probably made your choice."

"I..." Crimson bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. She knew what was right, but she felt scared for the future of when she will start getting responsible. What if she didn't learn, and a dimension is destroyed, and she's actually responsible. She was too scared to move forward when she knew she should!

But then she felt a hand pet her. She looked to the owner, and saw her reincarnated mother smiling down at her with that familiar loving expression. Silver eyes glittering with wisdom to share. Crimson then remembered that her mother went through the same thing when she was fourteen. The Harsh Darkness killed her parents, and left her mother believing she was responsible for LAD-K's destruction. It wasn't a big scale as a dimension, and LAD-K turned out to be okay, but her mother felt the extreme numbing pain of losing everyone she loved. She only knew the life within LAD-K, so she experienced what it was like to lose an entire world, and become alone.

Xiaoling told her, "Your biggest opponent is yourself, and you're not alone in that fight. You'll never be." Crimson stared at her beautiful mother, and the flooding liquid in her disrupted her vision. She was pulled into her mother's arms to emphasize her words. "Crimson, I'm sure your father will be reincarnated into someone more free and happier than he ever was as the king. He was never fit to be king anyway, so let's both make the most of our life right now, so when he comes back, we have a lot of good stories to tell him."

Crimson nodded, and yelled out with all the heart and passion she could muster "I want that, too! I hope that everyone who died will be reincarnated and happier, and go to a great afterlife! I want to make the world a better place to make sure that happens!" The young girl swore on her life with big hopeful, golden eyes.

"And you will." Xiaoling held her in her arms. "You are both a hero and a child. We'll balance them together as a family."

 _Song: Save the world/Don't you worry child - Swedish House Mafia covered by Pentatonix_

And so, Crimson spent her time with her mother and her new family having fun while at the same time learning of how to be a hero by herself and by those around her.

Noemi taught her of how to deal with difficult people and how to be confident and strong during the journey and missions. Jolyon taught her of how to smile and relax despite going through hard times and traumatizing moments. Xiaoling was by her side to help her understand their lessons, and watch over her when she was on her own.

Crimson also met Queen Sanchia of Bulered, who she was sure was in love with Jolyon and vice versa but their relationship was...

 ** _WHIP CRACK!_**

"AAAAH!"

Miklos would always take her and run away from the forbidden places of the castle. This guy was definitely Noemi's lover. A bit of a shy nerd, but the two balanced each other well like good crushed leaves made into tea. He liked spoiling Crimson with snacks and games. Xiaoling got along with Miklos since he liked feeding her and was really good to Noemi.

The prince taught Crimson of how it was okay to be the odd person out of a crazy set of people, and how to both tolerate and adapt to their random ways. Crimson considered herself to be part of the crazy set of people considering that she was partly raised by the Light of Destruction, but crazy wasn't the same everywhere, so it was a good lesson.

Queen Sanchia was very fond of Xiaoling because just having the cat around always felt soothing. She would spoil her with plenty of gifts, and groomed her fur with special brushes despite cat hair getting all over her. Crimson found it amazing that all three incarnations of the man who was claimed to be an asshole would all love her mother with so much platonic passion. Sanchia was also really nice to her and considered her to be a niece. Granddaughter just didn't fit the queen when she looked too young to be ever considered a grandma.

The queen taught her of how to act intelligent, classy, elegant while also being a passively aggressive independent bitch. It was important for the growing girl to be able to be refined in a situation that called for it.

Crimson experienced both the light and the darkness in the highs and lows of society. Bulered was certainly a colorful kingdom filled with wishful thinkers and scums of the planet. Though, she didn't always stay at Bulered. She would bring them to her home in the red star, so they could meet her friends, and the dead loved ones that could stay for a day or two to meet them. Then if something terrible was happening at another dimension that had be handled, Crimson would use her skills in that mess, and continue to learn from it.

The little girl grew up and learned so much in the ten years that passed.

By then the Light came to take her mother. Crimson knew that that meant that it was time to take on the rest of the dimensions independently with friends who will back her up when she needed it. However, She decided to stay in Bulered for a bit longer since the Light warned them that the crazy bitch from the past life was reincarnated and got a hold of some energy that the Light may have given her. Whether it was on purpose on not, it was not clear, but they couldn't complain since the Light kept the universe safe.

Xiaoling gave her third shard to Noemi, and gave everyone a meaningful goodbye.

Her final words for this incarnation to Crimson were, "You're going to fail sometimes in the future, but you'll succeed in making up for the failures, too. The one thing that will always remain constant for you is that I, your very beautiful, talented, smart, and all around perfectly good mother," She was just being funny to make her daughter laugh before she went, "is and will always be proud of you and love you beyond the very end." Crimson smiled against the tears that fell down her cheek. She breathlessly thanked her mother and promised to do her best.

Xiaoling nodded, and then she was sacrificed for the sake of her universe. Everyone took their time to mourn for her before getting back on the task at hand.

They made the plan to move the citizens to a new kingdom since they couldn't track the sorceress down due to her chaotically enhanced powers. Noemi used the shard to enhance her own sorceress skills, and saw into Jolyon's past life to see Jona's life and the answers it held to what the sorceress was planning. After learning the truth, Noemi devised a plan that didn't include Crimson in it.

"Why not?" The teenager asked Jolyon since Noemi was busy preparing. She was confused. "I'm powerful enough to face this sorceress with you."

"You really are," Jolyon said but explained, "But not a clue of when this sorceress is coming, and Sanchia needs you to rebuild her kingdom. Noemi and I can handle her. Li'l sis' plans always come out good in the long run."

"But to rely on your reincarnations to help finish the job? I'm the granddaughter of crazy, but this is like throwing at a target blind." Crimson had gone through several crazy schemes, and even crazier schemes made by her mother, but this one took the cake.

But the infectiously calming knight said, "And they don't always miss." Jolyon gave her a confident, lazy smile.

Crimson stared at him with a dubious expression, but seeing that smile not let up made her start believing in both of them. "Alright. Just please be careful. The shadow realm isn't a nice place."

"We'll be in a crystal, so we'll be richly comfortable." He lamely punned, but Crimson snorted anyway.

She gave Noemi and Jolyon a hug, and hope that in the future, she'll see all of them, and they'll be all happy.

._._._.

After helping with the new kingdom, Crimson soared across dimensions and acted as a hero to places that pleaded for her help. She accomplished several battles like helping a cat out of a tree branch or from falling off the edge of a volcano to stopping or mediating wars. She became a legend throughout the twelve dimensions.

Despite hundreds of years going by, she remained a sixteen-year-old girl. The Light explained that it must have something to do with her powers reaching maturity, so she never had to age. She was also capable of traveling through time, but that was too much power for her, and she knew that she should let events flow unless someone dared to screw with time themselves. In order to stay true to that, she used her powers to lock that ability away until the time was needed.

She traveled far and wide, which gave her plenty of new and rich experiences with the people she met, but she was still hoping to see only one person, and the Light found her/him.

She went to the human dimension, and was right before a seven-year-old boy with a Light and Darkness Dragon by his side.

The boy was very pale with black hair cut into a mohawk, and he was tall for his age with a skinny body that was dressed in a suit without the jacket. He looked very professional and mature for such a young boy, but when his grey eyes laid on her, they widened and sparkled like electric sparks bouncing off of silver. His mouth smiled so huge that it practically took up his entire face.

"Crimson!"

"Mom!"

 _Song: Neverland - Zendaya_

 _beep...beep...beep..._

 _"Chazz...ugh...please...please...open your eyes...please..."_

._._._.

A/N: I'm not proud of what I'm going to do next.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N:

Me: ...

Little Chazz:...

Me:...

Little Chazz:...

*I turn to him and hold his cheeks*

Me: _**I am going to break you**_. Actually this chapter got too lengthy, and I don't want to cut anything out, so _ **I'll break you in the next chapter.**_ Now then, let's first see you in all your cute glory with some twisted family background!

WARNING: I'm making Jagger adopted because I CAN'T resist a parent-couple dynamic, and I want Slade and Jagger to be the reincarnation of the Dark-End Queen and Light-End King. I apologize to anyone who will still see them as related and cannot stand incest. Nothing heavily smutty will happen between them. Just a kiss or two.

Also, I might refer to Chazz as 'he' and switch to 'she' unconsciously, and not bother making corrections since my version of Chazz swings to either pronoun. Hopefully I don't confuse any of you who'll read this, but I had to constantly try not to put 'she', but doing that didn't feel right with me and annoyed me because I couldn't help it.

I headcanon that Chazz is an intersex, and that of course brings up the discussion about his identity. I could just use 'their' and 'they' or 'he/she', but I don't feel like that matches with my headcanon for Chazz's identity since I feel his gender identity swings back and forth.

So I guess I subconsciously headcanon him to be bigendered. Noe is genderfluid, though I just refer to her as 'she' because getting into that pronoun business would've been way too messy. The difference is that Chazz can feel like he's two gender identities at once or different times. Noe's gender identity fluctuates to all types of gender identities depending on her mood.

I'm sorry if you get confused.

._._._.

 _Song: What are Little Boys Made of?_

At the early morning of August 1, a pale, Japanese baby was born. The Princetons expected a boy because they had an ultrasound to know ahead of time of its sex, but when the doctors inspected the genitalia, they saw that the baby was intersex. The parents were shocked, but after being told that they could give the baby surgery for the gender they wanted, they reasonably discussed about it.

Mrs. Princeton wanted a girl, but Mr. Princeton wanted another boy. Since they were traditional, the man got his way, and the baby was given male genitalia, but they did nothing to the uterus since that could be removed later if the child really does wish to be a boy.

The father then had the baby be named Charles Princeton.

"Charles?" A twelve-year-old Jagger looked down at his new baby brother. "I am not calling our brother a douche name like Charles."

"Shhh." A fifteen-year-old Slade shushed him. "Don't let dad hear you, but I hear you. I'm not calling him Charles. It'll make him sound like a complete dork...You know Chazz is the nickname for Charles. Sound better?"

"Chazz?" The smartest of the brothers thought about it. "Sounds like a spazz of a name, but it's better than Charles." The two looked down at the pale, chubby baby who was looking at them curious yet confused.

Slade felt oddly giggly at the sight of their new brother. "Hey, Chazz. Welcome to a family where you can get anything except your parents' love."

Jagged jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. He did not find spouting depressing facts to their baby brother to be amusing, but then they heard giggling. They looked down to see their infant brother smiling and laughing at them.

"Oh, is that the baby!" The mother came in and cooed, "Hey, Charles! It's your mommy!" Chazz looked at her with a face that yelled, 'What the fuck did you just called me?!'

The older brothers snorted. Slade cooed, "Hey, Chazz!"

Chazz happily laughed again.

However, his mother was not happy. "Chazz? That's not a sophisticated name at all! You two are in big trouble for manipulating your infant brother to like such an unsophisticated name! Wait until your father hears about this!" She walked away, passing by a maid with pale skin, platinum blonde hair, and grey eyes.

The brothers stifled their laughter, and continued to coo, made silly faces, and talked to Chazz until they needed to get back to school work, leaving the maid with the baby. She happily walked over to the crib and sang a sweet song that put Chazz to sleep.

"Heh, heh, heh. I swear that every time I see you this vulnerable, it makes me..." She frowned at the peaceful sleeping expression on the little child's face. She held the baby in her arms. "Don't grow up too fast my ember of the world."

._._._.

 _Song: Control - Halsey_

"You expect to be a Princeton with grades like these!" Mr. Princeton yelled at Slade at his office.

"What do you expect? I've been swamped with other school activities you pushed me in!"

"Don't talk to me like that, you worthless son of mine!" He rose his foot at him. Slade could easily overpower the man by the physical skills he gained from the tons of sports he's been pushed to play, but his father handled the money behind the scenes, and that gave him the authority to kick his son. The last time Slade defended himself, his father had his guards beat him. Mr. Princeton believed that nothing was taught best other than through pain. At least that was what Gozaburo Kaiba told him. "Jagger is adopted, and he's a genius just like that Kaiba kid! He even took control of the company! I'm ashamed to have my own blood be so pathetic! Stop being such a slacker! I wonder why I bother having kids! You're better off sent to an orphanage! Maybe then, you'll have some brains! I can't look at you anymore!" He turned away to look out the window. His order boomed and bounced off the walls like the sound of a gun going off, "YOU'RE DISMISSED!"

Slade got up after taking a few more hits, and left the office. His grey eyes vacant of any emotion because he was already so used to the internal pain that he was numbed. His mother was nowhere in sight. Nowhere in the mansion. She was too busy having fun outside.

He didn't care of where Jagger was. Probably studying to be the perfect son when he wasn't even an actual Princeton.

And Chazz...Slade went to the nursery, and heard the thunderous cries of a baby. The pale maid was present, but Slade stopped her, and went into the room himself. He looked down at his little brother that was only a few months old, and was crying his heart away without a reason.

Slade's arms and ribs were bruised, but his face was spotless since that was the only place his father would never think to hit or else he would have to answer to those who would actually give a damn.

Painfully, he reached down and held the colicky baby in his arms, and patted his back. Chazz quieted down, and was breathing gently in his arms. He sat down on the comfy rocking chair, and sat there for hours while holding the infant that slept in his arms.

Jagger eventually came to the door with a first aid kit. "Do you hate me?" He questioned.

Slade shook his head. "I'm not a jock who picks on nerds." He joked, but neither of them laughed. Jagger went over to him and took care of his wounds in the way that he was taught in Health class, while being careful with Chazz. When he was done, he closed the first aid kit, and then stood there in front of his adoptive older brother. Slade sighed and pulled Jagger onto his lap, and told him earnestly, "I don't hate you. I'm not our dad. I won't hurt any of you, and I'll protect you from him. I promise."

Jagger felt his chest pinch as it overflowed with fear and guilt. He clenched onto Slade's shirt and hid his face, so the world didn't know that he was plotting in his mind for their freedom.

The Light watched this and huffed. "To think the reincarnation of Jun's first parents would be these two, and they're left defenseless against an imbecile." She looked at them with disappointment, but when she saw Jagger's face turn sideways, she saw a merciless plot devised behind them. She smirked. "Of course. The reincarnation of the Dark-End Queen would have that mindset. This could be interesting."

In the next three years, Slade had been doing his best to handle all the pressure and activities that his father pushed on him in order for his son to become capable of taking his place as CEO of his business. He wanted Slade to be able to play any sport perfectly. He wanted him to win every student presidential election, attend and take charge in meetings, and always act like a socialite, while at the same time studying and achieving grades that would land him as the valedictorian.

Slade spent days and nights trying to please his father, while also taking the beating for anything his father would deem wrong. While this went on, Jagger spent his time studying and succeeding at his academics and chosen activities perfectly while secretly helping Slade through stealing cheat sheets, making sure he never abused drugs, and paying someone to make sure he didn't make any mistakes at the parties he attended.

They worked hard to keep this family together while their mother was nowhere to be found. Their reward for their hard work was to visit Chazz who would always greet them with a smile and laughed at anything they said or did. All of their anxiety and pain disappeared as they played and talked with him.

"Dad wants me to go abroad, and work for the company after I graduate." Slade told Jagger while the two of them were having a picnic at their backyard with Chazz who was turning three soon. "He's not giving me a choice in the matter. He already has my things packed up, itinerary copied for me, a position opened, and...it doesn't look like I can come back. I think I can convince him to make me take Chazz with me since from where I'm going, they have better schools there. I'll try to take you with me, too, Jagger. I'm not leaving you at the hands of that man. Not when you're not blood-related." The older brother shuddered at the idea of what his father would dare do to Jagger if he wasn't there to protect him.

His father had taken noticed of Jagger's lack of volunteering for athletic sports, and Slade saw something in the man's eyes that chilled him to his core. He did something stupid like making up rumors of getting a girl pregnant just to get his father away from him.

Dread swelled in Slade's heart at the idea of abandoning his brothers at that man's mercy. He hated it. He hated how powerless he was! If only...If only he could...

His thoughts took a dangerous turn, but then he felt his hand squeezed. He looked over to Jagger who held his hand with an unshakable expression of stabled calmness. He was holding their clueless brother with one arm, and Slade's eyes made the image burn in his memory because he didn't know what to do without ruining everything. But then Jagger told him with an eerily even voice, "You don't have to worry about anything, Slade. Just focus on graduating, and do what you've been wanting to do: Politics. You've shown more interest in politics than in sports or being Mr. Popular, and have ideals that could change the future. If that ignorant man who doesn't deserve the title of a parent cannot see what he's destroying, then I'll deal with him."

"Deal with him?" Slade knew his brother was a genius, but to be willing to do what they both knew had to be done, he wasn't sure if he want Jagger to have that kind of blood on his hands.

But Jagger looked frighteningly alright with what he was planning. "Just focus on graduating and nothing else." He scooted over to Slade to lay his head on his shoulder. Their hands still holding and Chazz being content with this loving atmosphere. No idea of the darkness being developed under the light.

._._._.

 _"Two years ago, the Princeton family suffered a tragic loss. Mr. and Mrs. Princeton were tragically killed by a drunk driver who also died that night. For the three sons that they left behind, Slade Princeton, a graduated young man, took it upon himself to take care of his two younger brothers, but not through taking over the Princeton corporation. Instead, he gave that position to a trusted friend of the family while he is pursuing his own passion in the world of politics. The second oldest Jagger Princeton certainly gained his popularity through becoming one of the youngest men to successfully become a financial adviser. He's handled money for plenty of top named companies, especially for the top three companies: Kaiba Corporation, Industrial Illusions, and the Gecko Company. Despite these businesses having a rivalry among themselves, they all agreed that they trust Mr. Jagger Princeton with their secrets and their money since he had been proven both loyal and capable. Of course, we can't forget the youngest and adorable brother, Chazz Princeton. His older brothers have told interviewers that Chazz had shown a great love for dueling, and no surprise, his favorite is Seto Kaiba! These boys have shown to continue to make great progress among themselves since the death of their parents. They must be proud."_

Slade turned off his phone after hearing that news. He snorted at the last statement made.

"What's so funny?" Jagger inquired. The two of them were at a theater with the lights dimmed while people were still taking their seats.

"Nothing. Just some bullshit said in the news again." The politician half-heartedly answered.

They hushed themselves when the spot lights went on the stage, and someone came out to give the greetings and a little prologue. When she was done, she walked off the stage just as the curtains opened.

 _Song: Powerful - Jussie Smollett and Alicia Keys_

Young dancers leaped and twirled across the stage in a story-telling way that appealed to the eyes. It was all bright, colorful, and just all around cute.

Then the stage was cleared for a 5-year-old Chazz, who was given a solo to portray Helen Keller. Those who knew or were familiar with the Princetons found this odd, and some of them were against this. They believed that they were pushing their ideals onto a clueless boy. No one, except for those who were paid, knew about Chazz's true gender. Slade and Jagger agreed that revealing that would overshadow Chazz's greatness since the world would rather focus on something that shouldn't be bizarre. Also, it was Chazz who wanted to portray the character since she liked the movie. She liked the idea of achieving despite not having the senses that many take for granted.

She got on that stage in her white gown and the hair she grew out to at least past her shoulders so she could appear more feminine with her white ribbon clipped on. A doll was in one hand, and a mug was in the other. There was the sound of water running from the distance.

The music played slow and distant while she danced around on her pointe shoes with no movements from his irises. Everything was dark around her with little swirling outlines of images resembling items with a smell in the background. Slowly did the music became louder and a bit faster. Then hands appeared and began making symbols, but Chazz was not happy by this. She looked like she was trying to tear herself away from them after dropping her doll. The music got louder just as her anger grew and grew in the form of frustration until she threw the mug to the background, and the sound of shattering was projected to shake the audience.

Chazz acted out a tantrum on the floor until she slowly came to a stop. The music slowly faded away with the images, and everything faded to complete silent darkness in the theater.

Then the image of clear falling water appeared, and the music started up again, but with a more vibrant, unveiling feel. Chazz blindly danced as the water in the background began splashing on invisible surfaces to make images of different items and hand signs.

At the very end, the water began making a strange shape that didn't make sense until Chazz lied on the floor holding the doll with a smile. The shape revealed to be the audience. They were reflected in the background. Chazz put a fist against her palm and began using the alphabet in the hand sign language.

The background spelled out what he was signing. It was a quote from the woman he portrayed, " _The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller"_

The theater went dark and silent again, but the words and falling water were still visible.

The applauds erupted within the room. People stood up to give the performance a standing ovation. The light went back on, and Chazz gave a bow before walking off of the stage.

After the show, the Princeton brothers went to a party that Slade needed to attend to boost his popularity. After Chazz's performance, it wasn't that difficult since important figures was in that theater.

"I heard that you plan for your brother to become a pro duelist, but after what I saw, why not just make him a professional in the world of theatre! He obviously has so much talent for it! Why I heard from one of the teachers that Chazz choreographed the routine himself! And he's what? Only five! You obviously have a creative genius! You Princeton brothers are truly gifted! A genius with politics! A genius with money! And now a genius with the arts! You boys could practically rule the world!" A very chatty lady told them.

Slade told her with a professional, yet friendly tone, "Chazz is without a doubt gifted with dancing. Parents would exaggerate how much of a dancer their kid is, but as an older sibling, I am not lying when I tell you that he did in fact took his first steps to dance. But then, Chazz is also quite fond of duel monsters. As you said, he's only five, so it is too soon to tell what Chazz will want to pursue as his career."

"But I already have it planned." Chazz spoke up. "I know I'm the best ballet dancer that you've ever seen, but I like to leave dancing as my hobby. My big brothers are going to give me my first deck for my sixth birthday, and with that deck, I'm going to become the best pro-duelist in the future! I can easily steal the spot light with my dancing skills, but dueling is a game of both skills and chance! But most importantly, I'll be able to meet Seto Kaiba that way! And it doesn't look like he's into ballet. Do you understand me, lady." The five-year-old gave his cutest sassy attitude.

The lady went, "Awwww! Aren't you just the little, big man!" Many of the women and men crowded Chazz to lavish him with compliments. The brothers made sure to keep a hold of him for fear that one of them would even think of kidnapping him.

When it got late, Jagger bought Chazz home while Slade stayed to continue socializing. "Hyeon-Seo," He called out to the fair skinned maid who approached him at the mansion's entrance. The Light still worked for them, and she was the head maid and Chazz's caretaker. She took the sleeping interboy from the genius' arms. Jagger ordered, "Please put on his pajamas and tuck him in bed carefully. I'll be in my study if you need to inform me of anything."

"Of course, Master Jagger." She bowed, and then informed him, "There was a call from Mister Seto Kaiba. He would like to have his new squeeze, Mr. Wheeler and a friend of his to come visit to see Master Slade's stone collection."

"...Then I'll call him to let him know that I welcome them." Jagger looked over to her with a knowing look in his eye. "You know, Hyeon-Seo, I still find it amazing that you escaped out of that car crash with my parents alive without a scratch on you when you were sent to the morgue by my demands."

"What can I say? I'm resilient." She smiled innocently.

"Of course." Jagger deceptively smiled, too. That smile made the Light see the Dark-End Queen in him. Jagger was always quite aware of his surroundings, that the Light wasn't sure if he knew the truth or not. When he turned around, she could've sworn that she saw the wings of a devil. "Oh and Hyeon-Seo, make sure the one who helped Chazz with his routine is given my appreciation." He then walked away, leaving the Light in a state of confusion.

Not liking being left in the dark, she asked, "Do you know who I really am?"

Jagger stopped and answered, "I know that Chazz isn't a normal person when he would tell me and Slade that he could see spirits and duel monsters. At first I thought he just had a big imagination like any ordinary parent would think, but after duel monsters came to life a year ago, I knew that Chazz was destined for something great, and you play a part in it. You helped me kill my parents for a reason, and it definitely wasn't out of sympathy or money. It was because of Chazz. I don't trust you, but you haven't harmed Chazz as of yet, and if anything happens, I need you near, so I can know the truth."

"Pffbt!" The Light couldn't believe this! "BWUHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is amazing! So amazing! I knew you were a freakin' smart ass bitch in your past life, but to think that would be your reincarnated nature?! BWUHAHAHAHAHA! You two are so rich! RICH!"

Chazz was disturbed out of his sleep. "Mmph! Shut up!" He slapped the Light, and then went back to sleep in her arms.

The Light snorted, and then whispered, "Oh Master Jagger. You'll know the truth soon enough. For now, just enjoy the normal life for a bit longer before Chazz's and my world wreck it to pieces."

Jagger heeded her warning since he had a feeling that the visit from Mr. Wheeler and his friend meant that he was going to discover soon enough the truth.

A few hours later, Slade came back home, and went to check on Chazz first. He quietly opened the door and the hallway light revealed his little brother's peaceful sleeping face. The older brother softly smiled at the serene sight of his innocent sibling who will wake up to smile again without a hand raised to him. Slade felt nothing but joy that his parents were dead. It saved Chazz from a life of neglect and cruelty. He loved him and Jagger with all his heart.

"You stink of perfume from over here." The middle, adopted child let his presence be known. He was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, looking absolutely worn out from work, that numbers were still running in his mind.

Slade apologized, "Sorry. The women were very forward, and one of them latched onto me like a vise. It took threatening to call security for her to let go." He closed the door.

"She could've gotten a better chance if she chose a better perfume. You hate the ones with the fruity scents. You prefer the citrus ones." Jagger leaned away from the wall when Slade approached him. The fruity scent becoming stronger, which made him pull a face of disgust.

"You are absolutely correct." The politician leaned his head down to the curve of his neck to take a whiff of the citrus scent that Jagger liked using. "Citrus smells are irresistible, but that would've only made her less intolerable. I would've been sold if she was more sophisticated, intelligent, successful, and masculine with a dab of femininity to show his confidence and security." He leaned away.

"His?" Jagger gazed up at him lovingly, knowing that he was being described.

Slade softly laughed. His expression softened into love, too. He joked, "Oh? Doesn't the press know? I have a nontraditional preference."

Jagger said nothing. The two simply closed the gap between their lips for their taboo kiss. This relationship technically wasn't incestuous, but if people knew, then the two of them being gay wasn't going to be the only problem since they grew up in the same household.

However, Slade couldn't resist the advances that Jagger made on him. It was very subtle before the death of his parents, but afterwards, Jagger held nothing back. The younger man didn't want to pointlessly let himself suffer from not confessing, so he gave Slade the ultimatums where if he returned his feelings, he would stay by his side beyond business. But if he didn't, then Jagger would travel the world and only return home for Chazz. He wouldn't meet Slade on personal terms until he was sure that he was over his feelings for him.

Slade was beyond shock by this confession, but he surprisingly didn't hate it or felt all that confused by it. The confession was indeed strange since the two grew up together, but then, they never truly spent time together like brothers should since his father kept him too busy.

They never truly formed a brotherly relationship, but Slade was aware that Jagger was there for him in the background. He just didn't know how he looked at him as.

Jagger always knew he admired Slade but that quickly turned to attraction after he reached puberty. He knew he wasn't straight since he never lusted for any females. He never exactly lusted for that many men. When he did, he quickly realized that it was because they resembled Slade who was strong, kind, and unbreakable under his father's abuse.

He was well aware of the psychological cons for falling for someone who was considered to be a related sibling by law, but he couldn't find the will to fight his feelings. He loved Slade and couldn't imagine loving anyone else. Slade thought the same after the confession. He was never truly interested in anyone, and falling for Jagger didn't sound like a bad thing at all as long as it was kept as a secret.

In the present, the two kissed with mutual, consensual love.

"EWWWWWWWWWWW!" They were interrupted by Chazz's loud yell. "Don't kiss next to my room! What are ya?! A bunch of animals?!" The sleepy interboy rubbed his tired eye with a very upset pout.

Slade and Jagger both felt goosebumps at being caught by their little sibling who they never told about their relationship.

"Cha-Chazz! It isn't what it looks like!" Slade cried out desperately.

Jagger glared at him, and bluntly confessed, "I'm adopted, and we're in love, Chazz."

"Jagger!"

The financial genius ignored him, "Does that bother you?"

"What? No!" Chazz was irritated at being asked that. It was way too late in the night to be serious right now. "I already knew you two were going out ever since. I didn't know it was a secret, but whatever, I don't care if we are related. I just want to be happy. But doing it right next to my room is going way too far! You should feel ashamed of yourselves!"

Slade and Jagger embarrassingly blushed. They were very much ashamed.

"So wait. You're okay with this?" Slade asked for confirmation.

"Why not? You two love each other right." Chazz huffed with his hands on his hips. These two were overreacting!

The two older men made shy eye contact, and smiled at the truth. "Yes."

"Then everything's fine! Just don't do it here next time or I'm telling Light on you!"

"Light?"

Hyeon-Seo appeared just in time. "Master Chazz, shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I waaaaas! But I needed to use the restroom, but when I came out, these two were macking off of each other right next to my room!"

The Light theatrically gasped, "Master Slade and Master Jagger, how could you! Master Chazz, you must be feeling traumatized! Come here! I'll carry you to the bathroom, and we can have a midnight snack to help you cope with what happened! How does milk and cookies sound?"

"I like that very much! Let's go, Light!" He rose his arms so the light haired maid would pick him up. When she turned away from the brothers, Chazz stared at them with a judging stare. He picked up two of his fingers and pointed at his eyes and then at them twice, and then glared at them harshly.

Jagger and Slade hid their faces in shame, but when the two were gone, they burst out laughing for awhile!

"It looked like Chazz knew before you that I loved you." Jagger pointed out. Tears at the corner of his eyes by his uncontrollable laughter.

"Then I concede. I'm the idiot of the family." Slade joked.

The two stared at each other again with smiles that felt so new and slightly painful, but good on their heated faces. They kissed again, but they were stopped by, "See! I told you they would do it again!" They looked over at the corner of the hall to see Light and Chazz peering at them. Light was amused while Chazz was showing his dark aura. Next to his room was not a make out station!

Slade and Jagger snorted and walked over to them. "Let's all have a midnight snack together."

Chazz huffed as Slade and Jagger each took a hand of his. "Fine, but no kissing! Unless its on my cheeks! Because I'm the adorable Princeton! I deserve all the kisses!"

Slade and Jagger inwardly laughed, and then glanced at each other. They mischievously smirked before stopping so they could kneel down and give Chazz a kiss on his cheeks.

The Light snorted at such familial love, but then she stopped when she saw The Light-End King, Dark-End Queen, and Princess Jun before her eyes. Chazz's grey eyes gleamed strongly with a strength that she never saw before.

Oh, this was going to be interesting.

._._._.

 _Song: Kill them with Kindness - Selena Gomez_

Jagger and Slade weren't sure of what happened during Battle City 2, but they knew that their six-year-old brother was more than a normal child like Jagger expected.

Hyeon-Seo, or the Light as she liked to be referred to as, explained to them as promised of what Chazz truly was, but through having Joey and Seto do it since it was a long story.

The five of them were at the Princeton backyard where Chazz was playing with the Light and Darkness Dragon (LAD-Dragon) and other duel monsters who were now solid through Chazz's powers. The adults were sitting in a gazebo with snacks and drinks served.

Joey started with explaining how the universe was created. Seto Kaiba explained how Chazz was that reincarnation of that speck of light, and what he did during the battle with Zorc who planned to use the powers of the Gentle Darkness to combine the twelve dimensions into one dimension.

"Okay, pause." Slade needed a moment to process the information before paraphrasing, "So you're saying that our little brother is the savior and the creator of the universe, and he did it through dueling some kid who also played a part in creating this universe?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that." Jona appeared out of thin air. She had her own body, so she was visible. "Don't be alarmed. I'm an ally. I had Noemi explain to me the truth, and it truly is a long and crazy story that you may choose not to believe in the end, but you are Chazz's present guardians, so it is important that you truly understand your brother."

Slade was not sure about any of this, but Jagger was on board with listening to what this random woman had to say. He pulled Slade to the side to explain that something bizarre happened recently that involved putting their own brother in danger. As responsible guardians, they needed to learn in order to be of use for Chazz. But they promised not to treat him in a way that would make him feel alone or unloved.

They then went back to their seats, and heard the whole story about the Light and Darkness Kingdom, the romance between Princess Jun and Supreme King Judai, the birth of Crimson and the supposed death of Princess Jun, the birth of Wadjet and Egypt, the death of Jun/Wadjet, the reincarnation of Jawinder and her short romance with Supreme King Judai, the truth of Yubel's betrayal revealed, and the end of the dimension. Then to the near end, the reincarnation of Xiaoling and the rising heroism of Crimson.

Jona used her powers to create a visual on the ceiling with stick figures to make it easier to follow, and she didn't go into deep detail. Finally, she told of Chazz's and the Light and Darkness Dragon's connection to each other. "The two are one person." Jona explained, "Within everyone is a power that takes on a different shape like how the current people call it a 'spirit animal', but it's a duel monster. However, due to Earth having gone through events that sealed magic and duel energy away, the human body is unable to project that sort of power within them, but thanks to Pegasus creating a 'gateway', that duel monster spirit is unleashed with a copy of its original soul's nature, so the two are like twins. They come from the same origin with the same nature, but they will grow as different people."

"Twins..." Jagger and Slade were exhausted from listening to everything, and were definitely not happy with the fact that the Light planned on taking their brother's life in the future. The hatefully glared at the woman who acted as their maid since their birth.

The woman snorted at their glares. "Don't look at me like that! I had my eyes set on her like that at first, but after what I witnessed, it turns out that your sibling has the ability to finally use her card again! Turns out that she just needed a bunch of people to fill in the cracks, and that she had enough love in her heart to use two of them on her own! She'll be able to use it against the Harsh Darkness in no time!"

"As true as that is," Seto started, "You're far from trustworthy. The Harsh Darkness is the reason that the Speck of Light allows you to remain here. You gain nothing from her succeeding at defeating the Harsh Darkness once and for all."

"Not exactly. You see, what I realized that after snuffing my own daughter's light out, I accidentally attached myself to this universe's cycle of reincarnation, and since I have the tendency to turn myself into a spirit, the reincarnation cycle happened, and there's a little me going around! Jona met him!"

"It's true." Jona confirmed. "And he's a lot less insane than this woman, who's doing quite well in appearing sane. I remember you as Divyasri, and she was frighteningly unpredictable when Jaswinder wasn't looking. It was difficult for my dragons to keep track of where you went, but when you did come back, you smelled of the perspiration of fear and odor of death."

"It's not my fault that people back then always used murder to solve problems! Like honestly. Make one woman have powers, and she's murdered! Make a man have powers, and he's hailed a savior! I loved those misogynistic times." She waved her head with thinned lips as if she was disappointed by the progress of society. "And on note, I did not give them on purpose. With the Harsh Darkness thrusting deep into my hole, it's natural that I'd be dripping my light all over the place."

Everyone shuddered in disgust at the image that came into their mind whether it was the vision of human beings mating or celestial beings doing their version of mating.

"Okay..." Joey started, "So obviously Chazz isn't prepared yet to face this bad guy, so we're askin' fer your permission to see Chazz in a daily to weekly basis."

Jona added, "Others from the afterlife will also visit him at home, and also keep an eye on him at his extra activities and when he begins going to school. As far as we are aware about the Harsh Darkness's knowledge on Chazz's whereabouts..." She looked at the Light.

She answered, "Don't worry. There are twelve dimensions, several parallel universes, and several versions of Chazzes out there who are not the speck of light, but have strong spiritual abilities! There's a million versions of me, and it drives me nuts that killing is a good outlet for those nuts to fall."

"You're no longer allowed near Chazz." Slade determined.

The Light burst out laughing. "Don't wooooorry! Chazz already knows I'm a psycho-murderer, and is turning the other cheek just like how her other past incarnations told him to."

"What?" Jona furrowed her brows.

"Oh, you don't know? Chazz has the ability to release her past incarnations from her core as spirits but only when she's awake, so you know...there's a chance that the shard wielders can make them solid."

Jona's eyes widened at the possibility. She disappeared for a second before bringing Noemi and Shu with her. Jona was capable of bringing people from the dead to life through her shard but only for at least two days. She told them of what the Light said, and they asked Chazz to release their spirits.

Chazz's eyes lit up at the idea, and joyfully released them. When he told them that he did, the shard wielders used their pieces to make the spirits physical, and there they were with a smile that lit up the day brighter.

All three wielders embraced their own speck of light.

 _Songs: Life is Getting Better - Javier Colon_

"AWESOME! Jagger! Slade! I want you to meet the ones who help me make my routines!" Chazz cried out.

The three females were let go from their embrace to face the older brothers, Joey, and Seto who were taking in the sight of the three women. Jun/Wadjet and Jaswinder shared a similar lean body with a flat chest and round booty, but Jun/Wadjet had her black complexion while Jaswinder was a dark tan. Xiaoling was a cat, but when she turned into a human, she had the same body type, but her complexion was symmetrically split into pale and dark skinned. All three of their hairs were black as total darkness, and their mono-lid eyes were grey.

Jun/Wadjet in her royal Egyptian dress and jewelry formally greeted, "I am a woman who goes by two names filled with many titles. You may refer to me as Jun if you see me as either the princess of the Light and Darkness Kingdom, the general of duality under the Supreme King, or the mother of Crimson: the hero of the twelve dimensions. You may refer to me as Wadjet if you see me as the Goddess and Creator of Egypt or the mother of the first pharaoh, Johan, who was born to represent the deep friendship I share with Shu."

Jaswinder joined her hands together and bowed. "Namaste. I am Jaswinder. India's once famous dancer, Egypt's once greatest doctor, and proud adopted daughter of Egypt's pharaoh, Pharaoh Set and his loyal Queen Jona."

Xiaoling said, "Xiaoling."

"You can do fuckin' better than that." Noemi scolded her. Xiaoling yawned, and napped in her arms. "Hmph. Fuckin' sloth." Xiaoling just purred.

"Aren't they awesome!" Chazz ran up to his brothers who were too shocked to speak. This day was really taking a toll on their normalcy that they could feel it fleeting away into dust. "Slade? Jagger?"

"We..." Slade started.

Jagged ended, "We're tired for the day."

"What?! But you just met my past selves! You can't go to sleep, yet! I've been wanting you two to meet them for sooooo long! You can't bail on me now!" Chazz was already putting on his fake tears.

Joey took pity on Chazz's guardians. He told them, "We'll watch over him. You two have a lot to process. Chazz, your brothers will play with everyone after they're done with their work."

Chazz's cheeks puffed out sadly as he pouted, but he let his brothers go. "Alright. But you're staying to play, right?" He looked up at Joey. His six-year-old eyes all wide and his bottom lip sticking out into the cutest, saddest pout. Sparkles seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Joey, who was once the master of puppy faces, felt defeated. "Of course, I will!" He hugged Chazz for dear life. "I'll play with you forever!"

Chazz thumbs up at his past incarnations who thumbs up back.

Seto snorted at his puppy's weak will to this kid. "Mr. Kaiba." The CEO looked at Chazz's face and saw the adorable puppy face with sparkles. It was combined with Joey's own puppy face. Seto Kaiba felt the dread that came from the impulse to do what they wanted. He used his dragon powers to escape.

"He ran away?!"

Everyone laughed.

._._._.

When Slade and Jagger came to fully understand and accept Chazz's unique situation, they decided to throw a party for Chazz's past incarnations with the guests being Seto Kaiba, Joey Wheeler, their past incarnations, and all of their friends. The older Princetons knew that they should get familiar with those who were allied with them to protect Chazz. Also, it was good to inform everyone of what the ground rules were when they visit or babysit Chazz.

Chazz and the Light and Darkness Dragon actually thought that it might be Chazz's birthday again because everyone bought them a ton of gifts, and a lot of the attention was on them and his past incarnations.

Jun had a whole kingdom of friends, but she only bought her closest friends and her parents to the party after their tearful reunion. Her parents quickly became acquainted with the older Princeton brothers since they were their reincarnations. It was strange and frightening, but after talking for awhile, the Princeton brothers noticed their similarities and got along very well. In fact, the way the king and queen logically spoke of the situation that they were in, it made Slade and Jagger feel more at ease with everything.

On with the party, the legendary knights told Jun about their battle with the Leviathan Dragon with their present reincarnations. Jaswinder was informed by her Egyptian family of what happened after she was gone. Xiaoling was being spoiled like a very loved cat on her comfy cat bed with a remote that had a robot do her bidding, whether it be to turn on the television or feed her cat treats.

Chazz was too busy fangirling over meeting Thee Yugi Muto with Thee Seto Kaiba together! The two biggest arch rivals of the world of dueling! He wanted to duel both of them, but mostly see them duel each other! Luckily, the Princetons were having the party next to a duel arena.

Yugi and Seto were prepared with their decks, and dueled with everyone watching them. They pulled out their strongest moves with great intensity that Chazz was fangirling hard, and was cheering for Seto since he was the favorite. Yugi's friends were cheering for him. Joey remained quiet since he loved both of them. Mokuba cheered for Seto while Noe didn't give a crap.

Chazz's boisterous cheers made Critias triumphantly grin at Timaeus who just smiled. Jun and Hermos hugged them both, and cheered for any good moves drawn. Pharaoh Set happily smiled at Jaswinder who blushed at how rowdy her little reincarnation was. Set's daughters were cheering for Seto. Atem and Jona were on Yugi's side to even it up. Xiaoling's group didn't care.

At the end, Yugi won the duel. Seto accepted his loss with dignity, and they left the stage.

"Waaaah! That was awesome!" Chazz ran over to them with stars twinkling in her eyes. "You pulled that move and that move and-" She began dancing out the duel as she described about it. Yugi lightly laughed, and Seto strangely felt a natural smile become plastered on his face. Chazz twirled until she grabbed onto Seto's arm, and declared, "You were even more awesome! You'll always be my favorite duelist!"

Chazz smiled brightly, and Seto thought he saw a glimpse of a younger Mokuba. The real Mokuba saw the way Seto looked at Chazz, and knew that his big brother's heart was hooked by his cuteness that Mokuba once possessed.

"Yeah great." The Light moved it along. "How about a dance, Chazz, with your past incarnations? Show the newbies why your dancing is absolutely superb! I have it all prepared! Just the four of you with the dragon get on the duel field." The Light used her power to sweep the five of them to the field, and in place.

A fast rhythmic jazz played, and Xiaoling changed into her human form in a handsome tux, and her black hair was swept back in a pompadour. She pulled Chazz into the jitterbug. They were stepping all over the place, and Xiaoling twirled and swung Chazz around until the music changed to a more Indian beat. Chazz was twirled into Jaswinder's arms, and the two began doing a mix of different Indian dances she taught him. They were far more graceful and methodical with their moves. When the music changed to a slower western classical music, Chazz was given to Jun/Wadjet, so the two could enter into a Viennese Waltz. It was whimsical and lovely as their feet seemed to be floating on air.

Then the music shifted to ballet. Chazz transitioned to en pointé with her arms up. The past incarnation gave her the stage with Light and Darkness Dragon who changed into pure light and shadow that wrapped around Chazz's body to change her clothes into a ballerina's attire that consisted with the color of purple, black and white. The tutu appeared to be crafted by birds' and bats' wings. Her purple ballet pointe shoes left a trail of twinkling sparkles if she was to move her feet, and her black tights were made of lace. Half of her skin was pale as snow while the other was as dark as onyx. Her lips, nails and upper eyelids were a lovely violet.

Her performance was alive and free like the Jitterbug, precise and graceful like many Indian dances, and gave an air of softness and love like many waltzes have done. She danced with a welcoming smile on her face because she truly appreciated the presence of everyone in this room. She truly wanted to transcend her unspoken words to everyone in the room, and let them choose the words most fitted for how they thought and felt.

Everyone watched silently as she danced with her pure, innocent love conveyed in a beautiful dance style. It truly was an amazing party.

When she was done, everyone applauded for her performance. Chazz bowed.

"NOW WHO WANTS TO SEE CHAZZ'S BABY VIDEOS!" The Light cried out! She was already in front of a projection screen and the video of a two year old Chazz innocently moving his butt to a hip hop beat.

"NOOOO!" Chazz cried out angry. "Stop it! I don't want them to see that!"

But her cries were overshadowed by the females, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!"

Jagger took Chazz in his arms to let him cry out her embarrassment away while everyone was busy looking at all her adorable baby videos. She didn't talk to Light for a week.

._._._.

"So what about Crimson?" Jun asked the Light since she noticed that her daughter wasn't around for the party. Chazz was currently asleep, but the Light could extract the reincarnations by her own power.

The woman who could act sane for a moment answered, "She's busy taking care of the virus left over across the twelve dimensions and stopping wars and unreasonable sacrifices made to a fake god because of that Zorc fiasco. From what I see, she can't slow down until a year or two."

"Crimson..." Jaswinder felt guilt in her heart. "If I hadn't told her about the letters, then she wouldn't have to suffer from the guilt of destroying a dimension even if it wasn't her fault."

"She's fine." Xiaoling reassured her. "I'm the reincarnation that raised her longer than the two off you had, so trust me when I tell you that she's doing a lot better, and isn't holding onto that guilt."

Jun nodded. "The end of that dimension was a great loss, but without a doubt, everyone I loved is reincarnated in this human dimension, and they can achieve a long, happy life. We'll all make sure of that." She placed her hand on Chazz's own. Jaswinder and Xiaoling did the same. "We were weak in the past because the card that held our love was divided, but now with the love of Shu,"

"The love of Jona."

"And the love of Noemi."

"And Chazz's and Light and Darkness Dragon's equal, powerful love taking form together with us," Jun wholeheartedly declared, "We can save our universe from the Harsh Darkness!"

"Shut up!" Chazz yelled. His sleepy eyes still close. "Why is everyone bothering my sleep." he mumbled before falling back to sleep with his Light and Darkness Dragon plush in his arms.

His past incarnations and the Light muffled their laughter.

._._._.

 _Songs: Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic_

The Princetons moved to Domino City since Kaiba were there. Joey had to travel through the dimensions to take care of the viruses, but he would come back home every now and then. Yugi would visit Domino from time to time, while Tea was busy with her career as a dancer and choreographer.

Chazz was six, and summer was over, so it was time for him to go to school. He quickly made friends with the other kids, and took down those who picked on others before becoming friends with them, too. Friends was what the adults wanted to say, but after attending one parent's day, the reality was that Chazz created a cult with the other kids worshiping him. The parents wanted to complain about this, but after the kids told them of the good things that happened after he took control, the adults agreed to claim that Chazz was merely elected as the president of the classroom.

Chazz was a very effective leader who made newcomers feel welcomed in different ways, led school events, and even controlled Halloween, so that everyone got the right amount of candy, and got the candy they wanted. He was a very fair ruler. Even when he hated carrots with a passion, he allowed carrots to be served with their snacks as long as he could trade with one of his cult members. The teacher accepted this rule since it made teaching class easier.

His brothers suspected that his past incarnations were responsible for this successful reign over the classroom, and they weren't entirely wrong.

"So you see, I've discussed with my follo- I mean classmates of how we could effectively gain more money for our next fund raising event for Christmas. Right now we currently have over five-hundred million dollars after three of them." Chazz tapped a ruler to the simplistic charts he drew with basic details on his sketch book.

It was another parents day and Joey, who was free, was invited by Jagger since Slade couldn't make it, and Jagger recognized Joey to be like a godparent for Chazz. The blond, who had lived poor as a child, felt himself go pale at the 'over five hundred million dollars'. What the hell were a bunch of five-to-six-year-olds doing in these events to raise so much!

It was answered when Chazz had the teacher turn on the projector to show pictures of those events. "As you can see, for our first event, we did an auction where we sold the stuff we didn't want. We earned our first two-hundred million that day."Joey found that plausible because it showed the five-to-six-year-olds selling expensive toys, keys to cars that their parents didn't mind selling, and other stuff that children shouldn't be having yet at their age! "Half the money we got went to charity organizations for unfortunate kids in third world countries. For our second event, we did the jail and bail while wearing our cutest outfits, and doing our best pout behind bars. Most adults in this room knows that we sent those photos with the the amount of money we wanted to everyone we knew. Everyone who loved us paid for everything with interest."

 _"Isn't that extorting money out of de people you love?! Wait, is that why Seto wrote a big check to this school a second time?!"_ Joey saw a picture of Chazz dressed in a blue-eyes-white-dragon onesie and pulling off his perfected puppy face. _"This bastard."_

"We also paid a small amount to show it to the public, and over a million worldwide chipped in a penny or a full buck to us. Of course, half of that money went to charities for unfortunate children and animals, but that still left us a lot of money."

 _"You're only six years old! SIX YEARS OLD! Why the hell are you some successful corporate boss fused with Jesus! Is your past incarnations behind this?!"_

"Then for our third event, we did a haunted house."

Joey remembered that one. He thought a haunted house made by a bunch of five-to-six year olds wouldn't freak him out, but then he didn't expect them to all be dressed as creepy monsters popping out of nowhere! Seto and Noe still laughed at him behind their hands.

"We earned the less money for that, but it was the most fun. Half of it went to buying costumes and bags that poor children requested for in our site at their schools. Thanks to all the money we gave away, we were able to help children and animals around the world." Chazz demonstrated the smiling pictures of kids, animals, and their caregivers with the messages of thanks.

It was true that what they did helped a lot of people, that they reached headlines in the media. However, Chazz kept away from being mentioned, and instead gave the credit to the adults. Chazz told his brothers that Jaswinder wanted him to remain humble. Chazz didn't really understand, but he's happy that some of the kids were able to buy their own duel decks because of him and his friends. The more duelists meant the more competition!

"Now for the fourth event! In our last kindergarten meeting, I said that," He turned the page of his sketch book to reveal a messy, colorful title with lightning strikes on it. "We'll have a Date Auction Night!"

"What?!" The parents were surprised by such a proposal!

"This is why we are using this parents day to reach out to all the guardians in this room to help us in our next event! We are too young to go on a date alone, so you will have to act as our third wheel on our date!"

"Third wheel..." The guardians of these children looked at each other. Some were for it, some didn't care, while others felt uncomfortable with having their kids go on their first date for money.

Joey had to ask, "Uhm, Chazz-"

"That's The Chazz to you!" He snapped. His cult members glared at the blond for his rude mistake. "What is it that you have to say that you must interrupt our meeting?!"

"Just a quick question. What are you saving this money for?" He could feel an animated sweat drop behind his head from the glares that were getting more intense but adorable.

Chazz announced, "That's obvious! We're going to built a duel arena in this school!"

"A duel arena?!" All the parents were surprised.

"That's right! This place has a gym and field fitted for every sport but not for dueling because schools don't recognize dueling as a sport, and that's moronic!"

"Yeah moronic!" One of the kids agreed.

"Moroonic! Mornic! " The others chanted without saying it properly.

Chazz went on to declare, "The principal of this school ignored our need for a duel arena, so we're going to use this money to buy what we need to take him down and take over the school ourselves! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The kids laughed with their leader. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

"And what exactly are those needs?" Jagger inquired.

Chazz answered, "Nuh uh. We cannot spoil our plan!"

"I'll take your deck away." He threatened bluntly.

Chazz gasped, horrified by his older adopted brother's abuse of power! He pouted, and shuffled his feet while thinking it through, and then jumped back up and took his sketch book from the easel, flipped a few pages before revealing the plan.

"Alright! Prepare your eyes for the Kindergarten Ultimate, Super Duper plan made by me and my loyal follo-I mean classmates!"

"Yaaaay!" His cult members clapped and cheered.

When they quiet down, Chazz began explaining, "So you see, we planned out our strategy like duel monsters! And everyone knows that the media is the most powerful duel monster of them all! Our money is the magic card that will enhance our own abilities in order to destroy the principal and crush his spell card of school authority! Our ability is to multiply how many duelists are in the school! Everyone in this class has a deck! Show'em!"

They each took out their own deck!

"Secretly, we've been buying and mailing decks to the students in this school and other schools nearby when they sign up to our website. If they log in as a student, then only they will be given the option to join an online duel with different types of decks to choose from, and even if they win or lose, the type of deck that they liked using the most will be given to them for free! Right now, we have about eighty to ninety percent of students from this school and other schools into dueling! We planned on taking action after Christmas because after the money we raised for our Date Auction Night, we will use the money to buy even more decks and duel discs for kids who can't afford them for Christmas to get more of them on our side!"

"So let me get this straight. You spent your money for charity, so you could gain sympathy by the majority of viewers even if they don't care for dueling? Not actually because you wanted to help the unfortunate." Jagger found that clever.

Chazz blushed at being caught doing a naughty thing, but he defended himself!

"This class's goal was to create a world where people can duel to their heart's content because dueling isn't just a card game! It's a test of someone's will and the cards themselves are our greatest allies!" His Light and Darkness Dragon roared in the background but no one except Joey saw him.

One of the students said, "I don't really want to duel, but I love my cards. They make me feel less lonely when mom and dad are too busy for me."

Another said, "I used to be really quiet in class because I didn't know what to talk about, and I felt really lonely. But thanks to duel monsters, it was easy to talk to everyone. There's endless stuff to talk about!"

Another said, "Whenever I'm picked on, just looking at my cards gives me strength. Is that weird?"

"No it isn't!" Chazz declared. "Just like how athletes feel comfort by holding a ball and letting it touch a net or bounce around it, dueling is just as competitive, intense, and an outlet for tough times!" He threw up his finger to the air. "Children around the world deserves a duel arena in their own school, so they can duel with awesome holograms, so they can watch the duel monsters they love fight to the best of their abilities! The very duel monsters that help us get through this thing we call life! Am I right or am I right?!"

"Right!" The kids agreed, even if some of them were lost with what he said. The passion was just too infectious!

"We're going to break the chains of school's neglect to recognize our love for dueling, and get our duel arena!"

"YEAAAAAH! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!" The kids chanted with their fists thrown repeatedly in the air.

Some of the adults cried by the speech, and began chanting with them, "CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!"

Jagger was used to this scenario, and was proud of his little brother. Joey was...not sure of how to feel. He was proud, but also overwhelmed by Chazz's ability to get people playing in his favor.

After Christmas, Chazz and other kids got the duel arena he wanted, and he dueled a ton of kids, and had fun while winning and losing.

._._._.

Slade sighed. He was feeling pressure from the media, and Jagger was nowhere to comfort him like he usually did. The financial adviser was too busy dealing with a crisis with one of the businesses. He figured that maybe he should go get a massage to ease his stiff body, and then drink some alcohol.

"Slade?" Chazz was shyly peeking at him from the doorway of his office. LAD-Dragon informed the little interboy of Slade's stressed mood, and that Jagger wasn't around to help him. "Jagger's busy?"

Slade sighed, "Yeah."

"Okay!" Chazz turned away and there was the sound of rustling. Before he knew it, the little six-year-old ran in with a sheet wrapped around him, and got on the leather couch of the room. He began speaking like an old, raspy man, "So the sensible Jagger is nowhere to be found, which means that his evil opposite can come out! Be prepared to face," He removed the sheet to reveal that he was wearing bat wings with orange yarn tapped on his face to look like long eyebrows and a mustache. "The JAGGERWOCKY!"

Slade stared at this weird costumed and took a moment to make sense of this joke until the Alice in Wonderland reference hit him. He snorted at the cleverness.

"Me no make sense! Me no know numbers, and me no have fancy shmancy girly eyelashes!" Chazz teased the absent man in his weird, old, raspy man's voice. Slade laughed at his performance. He took a video of Chazz continuing to insult their adopted brother, and showed him later. Jagger was insulted, but he couldn't help laughing, too. It really brightened up both their days.

._._._.

"So why do you love Jun so much?" Seto questioned Critias. Everyone was present for another party thrown by the Princetons, so they could all interact again.

"Why do you ask?" The knight questioned back.

"Curious is all. It appears that all of my past incarnations loves this...speck of light, and I don't necessarily understand why." Seto did feel compelled to like Chazz, but he was someone who didn't just like anyone. Especially not a brat who just reminded him of a younger Mokuba. The two would duel from time to time when Seto found the free time, but he couldn't fathom actually cherishing Chazz.

"I'm as surprised as you are that nearly all my reincarnations have fallen for her charms, but I don't believe our reasons are the same. I loved Jun because she cared for me in a way that I was comfortable with. Her care for me didn't appear idealistic like Timaeus' own would. With Hermos, you know that's an entirely different concept altogether. I feel a competitive need to face Timaeus. I am in love with Hermos. And Jun..." He looked over to her, and smiled a warm smile. "She's a fire cracker that I don't ever want to die out. I am always looking forward for the next thing she'll do, and never want it to be the last thing she does." His warm smile turned sad.

Seto let him be gloomy, and went over to his Egyptian past self. "So why do you love Jaswinder so much?"

The Pharaoh questioned back, "Why do you ask?"

And Seto gave the same answer, "I find myself curious since it appears that all of my past incarnations loves this speck of light, and I don't necessarily understand why."

The Pharaoh softly chuckled, and looked over to Jaswinder with a warm smile. "She is like a daughter to me. She is only seven years younger than me, but she was filled with youth, grace, and a sharp yet caring tongue. But don't be mistaken. I didn't love Jaswinder the first time we met. I was also hesitant in trusting her, but as the years went by, she did nothing, but be herself, and became a moonlight that I always prayed for Ra to never eclipse her." His warm smile faltered.

Seto let him be gloomy, and went over to his recent past incarnation who was lying on a couch sipping her wine. "Let me guess. You love Xiaoling because you love cats."

"Not at all. I'm a dog person. You should've known that." She smirked as she glanced from the corner of her eye at Joey and Jolyon who were chatting. "I love Xiaoling because she sees the wickedness behind my benevolent kindness."

Seto snorted. "Are you kidding with me?" Everyone knew she was a cold-hearted queen and dominatrix. Some of the scars on Jolyon had to be from her.

"I am. Why do I need a reason to love Xiaoling? I simply do, and that's the end of it. Instead of asking us of why we love our versions of the speck of light, why don't you ask yourself 'oh why, oh why do I feel obliged to love someone just because my past incarnations had? Why does my heart feel warm when he smiles? Is it because he reminds me of a younger, more innocent Mokuba? Or is it...because I know...I just know that he has something inside him, and I'm not talking about the light that the Harsh Darkness is after. No, what I mean is...'." She didn't finish. She just smiled at him.

Seto threw his icy glares at her, but the female version of him was predictably unaffected. Xiaoling jumped onto her chest, and got comfortable with lying her head against the curve of her neck. Sanchia warmly smiled at the affection, and it did not drop.

The CEO looked away from her, and his eyes immediately laid on Chazz who was sitting on a chair facing Yugi and the two were dueling. His eyes were glued on Chazz as he observed him. He searched the worth that Chazz had that was good enough for his heart. He only loved Mokuba and Joey, and nobody else. He didn't plan to let a third person walk into his heart. Even if they did it on their toes.

._._._.

 _Song: Listen with your Heart II - Alan Menken from Pocahontas_

"Mr. Kaiba?" Chazz called out to him. He was currently at his mansion where he had been playing capsule monsters with Mokuba, and doing some website stuff with Noe. The two then needed to leave for an important meeting. The mansion was well protected with a barrier so both Chazz and LAD-Dragon were safe. The dragon informed the child that the tall brunet was sleeping in his room.

He peeked into the bedroom, but didn't dare enter. He admired Seto Kaiba, and he was nice to duel him, but Chazz felt an air of intimidation and frustration from the man that he felt was aimed toward him. Chazz figured that he was just being a nuisance for the busy, powerful man, so he just looked and then walked away. Joey wasn't in the mansion since he needed to go be a super hero with the King of Games.

He thought about visiting Tea Gardner at New York. She fell in love with his dancing, and the two would dance for hours together. She said that dancing with him always uplifted her spirit, so he didn't think it would be a bother to drop in.

He went over to a room that wasn't occupied, so no one saw him use his powers to open a portal that led to Yugi's place.

"Leaving without permission are you?"

Chazz's soul nearly jumped out of him at the sound of Kaiba's deadly voice. He turned around, having the portal disappear. LAD-Dragon appeared to help, but Seto threw him a glaring dagger, that had him fall silent, but he still remained at Chazz's side.

"I'm sorry! I didn't want to disturb you!"

"So you thought leaving without my knowledge was better."

"I was bored, and thought Aunt Tea would want to dance with me..." Chazz looked down ashamed. His feet shuffled.

Seto stared at him for a few seconds before scolding him, "You should've known better than to leave without my permission, even if I am asleep." He let that sink in before offering, "I'll dance with you."

"Huh?" Chazz was surprised. "You can dance?"

Seto huffed. "Of course, I can dance. I'll even dance ballet with you, so let's go."

"O-Okay!"

Seto thought he'd find an answer if he actually danced with Chazz since dancing was the interboy's ritual to express her power.

There was a dance room in the mansion, so they went over there. Seto used his dragon powers to allow the ballet music from the ballet _Coppelia_ to play.

The two got into their positions, and they began their pas de deux. No surprise, Seto Kaiba's movements were precise and perfect. Chazz was perfect as well.

However as Jun, Jaswinder, Xiaoling and LAD-Dragon watched in the background with their voices quiet, they knew better.

"They're perfect." Jaswinder commented with a sad tone.

"But their hearts are not connected." Jun pointed out with a disappointment in her eyes.

"And Chazz is aware of it." Xiaoling held a nonchalant smile.

LAD-Dragon was worried for Chazz. The two moved perfectly, but the performance that was supposed to be happy and fun looked conflicted.

Chazz abruptly stepped away from the dance. Seto was insulted by the sudden stop, and the music went mute.

"What's wrong?" He questioned with a strict tone.

"I'm sorry." Chazz apologized. "I don't feel good."

"You don't feel good?" Seto didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba. I guess we're not compatible." The little interboy looked down with a face of uncertainty.

Seto still didn't understand, and felt his frustration. "Compatible? You're only six. What do you understand about compatibility."

"I understand lots about compatibility!" Chazz yelled, but then caught her tongue. "I'm sorry!" She apologetically bowed. "But..." She appeared conflicted again. "I don't know how to explain it. My past incarnations and everyone has been teaching me about a lot of stuff, but I don't know what's wrong here. I feel lonely when I dance with you."

Seto was shocked to hear that, but he supposed that it made sense. Even though they danced perfectly, there was no chemistry between them. Perhaps in this lifetime, he was not meant to truly love Chazz, but he will protect her out of obligation.

Since that day, Chazz felt lonely in Seto's presence since she could see that the man felt frustrated by her presence.

"Does Mr. Kaiba hate me?" Chazz asked Joey. The two were flying through the sky of another dimension. Magical clouds would appear and rain candy, and they were going to get a whole bag full!

The half dragon was surprised by the question. "Hate you? Why would ya think such a thing? I mean Seto can be cold, but dat doesn't mean he hates you. He's like that to pretty much everyone."

Chazz frowned. "But Mr. Kaiba looks like he's mad at me. He doesn't enjoy our duels. He didn't enjoy dancing with me. If he doesn't hate me, then he doesn't like me. I talked to my past incarnations about it, but they're just as baffled as me. They were loved by their own Mr. Kaiba. I want Mr. Kaiba to like me, but if he doesn't, then he doesn't have to force himself to spend time with me. I only feel lonelier when we're together. Please don't tell Mr. Kaiba that I told you this. I don't want him to do anything out of obli...obli..."Jaswinder whispered in his ear the word. "Obligation!...I just want him to be happy."

"Why would you want him happy?" Joey questioned indignantly. He swore that he was going to give Seto an earful for his behavior!

Chazz answered, "Because he's kind." Joey looked over his shoulder to see a loving, happy expression that shouldn't be on a six-year-old's face. "I admired Mr. Kaiba for his strength from afar, and now that I met him, just like you and Uncle Mokuba, I love spending time with him because it's fun. Just like my past incarnations:

"Jun loved Critias because he was like an older brother or a dad, and Critias loved her because she makes him smile.

"Jaswinder loved Pharaoh Set because she admired his rule as pharaoh and loved his family. Pharaoh Set loved her because she makes him smile.

"Xiaoling loved Queen Sanchia because she spoiled her, and Queen Sanchia loved her because she makes her smile.

"If I can't make Mr. Kaiba smile, then I'm fine if we don't spend time together." Chazz was smiling convincingly, but Joey wasn't persuaded.

After the day ended, and Joey tucked Chazz in bed, he didn't go to the bed that he shared with his fiance. When Seto came back home from work, and saw that his bed was empty, he remembered that Joey was babysitting Chazz. He used his dragon senses to know that Joey and Chazz were sleeping in separate rooms. This meant that Joey was upset with him, and it had to do with the fact that Seto rejected to feel any affection for the child.

He knew that an argument was to be had, and he had the energy to deal with it right now, and he had work first thing in the morning, so he went to the room that Joey chose, and woke him.

Joey glared at him, and told him of what Chazz told him. Seto didn't deny that he didn't feel what his past incarnations felt, and Joey quickly pointed out that he didn't have to feel it immediately, but at least give Chazz a chance.

"I did give him a chance." The blue-eyed brunet declared.

"No, you didn't. Givin' a chance requires ya ta lower yur guard a bit. He's a six-year-old, n' ya look like he's holdin' a gun at you."

"That's ridiculous."

"It is, so why are ya doin' it?" Joey quipped.

Seto narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you know? You're barely even here?"

"I don't need ta be dere ta know what yur screwin' up. Yur a very systematic guy, Seto, n' part of yur system is to keep yur guard up, even around a harmless guy like Chazz, becuz it's like yur in a freakin' war where even a baby carriage could be holdin' grenades or somethin'. Chazz wants to be your friend, but because you have your guard up, he's confused and sad."

"Why do I have to? Like you said, he's only six-years-old, and I'm too busy to make an effort to make him like me. I'll protect him, but I won't be his friend." The business man spoke with a tone that ordered for this to be the end of this discussion.

Joey sighed. "You learned to be less of a jackass, but you're still a stiff log with a stick up its ass. Fine. Don't bother liking Chazz, but don't be so obvious about it around him. You're his favorite duelist, and all he wants is for you to smile. I'm going back to sleep."

"In our bed." Seto picked up the love of his life, and bought him to their bed. Joey didn't fight against it. He already said what he had to say, and he was upset by Seto's choice, but he had faith that he'll come around eventually.

._._._.

"Are you sure about this?" Chazz, who was turning seven soon, asked while holding onto a motorcycle helmet.

"Hell yeah I am!" The Light pressed the kid's chest, and Chazz found himself grown into a young adult with leather clothes on.

"Whooooa! This is cool! Hey wait, why isn't my past incarnations coming out?" He warily questioned.

"They must be enjoying their sleep, so let's make them nap, and you get on this motorcycle with me with this duel disc on!" She put his helmet on and attached a duel disc with his deck on his arm in one smooth move. She got on a motorcycle, and Chazz was made to sit down facing away from her. "Is this safe?"

"Don't worry! Here!" She strapped them together by a belt.

"Uhm...Does Slade or Jagger know I'm with you?" He asked with a frightened voice.

The Light ignored his question and drove off to where other motorcycle riders were going about. She proposed a challenge to do a duel on their motorcycles. People thought she was crazy, but after she taunted them, the hotheaded ones accepted the challenge. Chazz was terrified by what was happening!

"Wait! I don't think this is safe!" He cried out, but the Light just activated his duel disc and drove off to the road. A motorcycle holding a similarly arranged pair was not far from them, and they went first. Chazz was too scared, so he just did what he was told, and dueled.

The public was astounded by such a barbaric way of dueling where anyone could get hurt! It immediately went viral on the media, and got more attention when the police tried to stop them.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Chazz cried. He was told that getting the police involved would be bad for his family. He really wanted to stop, and pleaded for his past incarnations to come help him! But they weren't responding! Chazz's visor began to look blurry when he couldn't hold back his tears. He still played on since he didn't know what else to do! Staying still was too terrifying for some reason! Light and Darkness Dragon had his presence shine in his deck to reassure Chazz that he wasn't alone! That helped the interboy feel better in his situation, but he still wished that someone would help him!

Seto saw what was happening over the news, but he didn't think that one of the duelists was Chazz until he saw that a majority of the cards and the way that they were played was just like how Chazz would play it.

He used his powers to become invisible and fly over to where they were. When he got there, the motorcycle suddenly went haywire that sent both the Light and Chazz spiraling in the air. Their motorcycle hit the other pair. Seto didn't care for them and used his powers to soften the landing of the light duo. The police got them, took off the belt, and rightfully booked them in jail.

"I'm in JAAAAAAIL!" Chazz cried out dramatically like the child he was in a man's body. The Light found it very pathetic to look at, but it was mainly her fault, so she just stayed cozy on the steel bench.

"Don't woooorrry! I already created a fake identity for you in the system, and changed your finger prints to make it work!"

"Really?" Chazz sniffed, wiping his teary face. "S-so I won't get in trouble."

"Oh, you'll be punished, but your brothers are busy, and they trust Mr. Kaiba, so he'll be the one to bail you out."

"Oh...that's good?" Chazz wasn't sure of how Mr. Kaiba would handle this. He didn't know if he cared.

"Of course! It's not like he actually cares about you! I mean he cares about you being the speck of light but he doesn't actually care about you as an individual! So the punishment is likely going to be sensible, and short so he doesn't have to deal with you for long! Or better yet, just pull a convincing act that you learned your lesson, and he might lay you off the hook!"

It was supposed to sound like good news, but the words that Mr. Kaiba didn't care about him, and just...dealing with him just because he was the speck of light, and nothing more, he knew that, and his past incarnations always cheered him up to not make him think about it, but they weren't around right now. The Light didn't stop him from thinking about it.

 _"So Mr. Kaiba doesn't like me at all...He doesn't care about me. He's just babysitting me because he needs to protect what I am. Not Chazz. Not me...I bet he already hates me..."_ Chazz bit his bottom lip as he weeped. "My chest hurts, and it doesn't feel good at all. It would hurt when Jagger and Slade is too busy for me, but even if it hurt, I still felt happy because they loved their jobs and were working hard to win. Even if it hurts, like I was told, this pain and happiness was love. I love them, and I know they love me. But this just hurts. It hurts!"

He cried until a police officer came with the news that only Chazz was bailed. The Light fixed the interboy's teary face since it was way too pathetic to let a red-eyed grown man walk out. Seto picked him up, and nothing was said on the trip to the mansion. When they went inside, Chazz stopped at the entry way. It felt painful to be in the same place as the man. It felt so lonely. Being home alone was better than this.

"I want to go home." Chazz demanded lowly. His body returning back to a six-year-old child's own.

Seto caught what he said, and told the child, "You can't. After what the Light did, you have no one tangible to watch over you at your place, and I still have work to be done."

"I want to go home!" Chazz yelled out angrily with his fists up.

"After the stunt you pulled with the Light, I don't think you have the authority to demand for anything."

"You know I was pulled into that! I'm only six, you stupid giant!" Chazz felt a hotness in his chest. Jun, Jaswinder and Xiaoling were finally freed after being locked in. They were confused as they watched the scene of their latest incarnation open a portal behind him. He tried to run away, but Kaiba grabbed hold of his arm. Chazz kicked him hard!

 _ **SLAP!**_

The past incarnations were horrified when they watched the latest incarnation of the man they loved lay a hand on their reincarnation.

Chazz was on the ground with a redness apparent on his cheek. He felt a flash of pain form all over his face, and it felt painfully tight on his slapped cheek.

Kaiba's stare was hard on him. He raised Mokuba, but he was always obedient. He knew he shouldn't have hit Chazz, but his hand moved on its own. He didn't know how else to tame the child than how he was treated. He watched as Chazz got up on his feet, and he was about to speak after a few minutes of silence, but then out of nowhere, Chazz lunged himself at him!

 _Song: Headstrong - Trapt_

"YAAAARGH!" His grey eyes lit up silver, and electricity over took the child's being.

Seto was shocked both emotionally and physically by the discharge. Parts of his body formed dragon scales to protect his innards. Chazz tried to escape, but Kaiba caught hold of his body. The two struggled against each other. The servants in the mansion screamed at the supernatural, violent event.

Light and Darkness Dragon unleashed itself within Chazz's body, and wings appeared on his partner's back. Both of his tails whipped out and took hold of Kaiba's neck and waist to fling him to the stairs.

Chazz took his chance to escaped. He got through his portal, but Kaiba reached his hand through the portal and grabbed hold of one of his tails, and pulled him right back to the mansion with great ferocity that Chazz smashed through the the floor and created a hole that nearly resembled his silhouette.

Kaiba looked into the hole, only for his chin to be uppercut by Chazz's electric covered fists. The six-year-old's body was half white and black and his skin was hardened.

A warm liquid touched the CEO's tongue, and it tasted like metal. He spit out the blood to the floor, and his shining blue eyes countered against Chazz's shining silver ones. "It looks like someone needs a spanking."

"Maybe. But not from a prick like you." Chazz heard Joey call this man that many times when he thought he wasn't listening. The interboy didn't understand the insult, but now he did. This guy was an annoying pain to deal with.

"You think I'm not afraid to hit a six-year-old? You thought right. The Light obviously filled your head with rebellious nonsense. Listen to me, Chazz, and I won't have to teach you a better lesson the hard way."

Jaswinder yelled, "Chazz should back down!"

Xiaoling chuckled, "But this is the best way to deal with pent up emotions."

"Then they should duel! That's safer."

"No." Jun explained, "It's terrible for an adult to hit a child, and under no circumstances should they be violent, but reaching out to someone like Seto can't even be done through dueling. If it did, then Atem's speeches of friendships would've worked. It takes persistence and bravery against his brutality. That's how Joey and his past incarnations were always able to achieve his heart. Like a meteorite fighting against the flames formed by the pressure of the atmospheres. You have to be hard and strong to face it, or else you will be burned to ashes."

"HE'S A FUCKIN' SIX-YEAR-OLD!" Jaswinder let go of her lady-like behavior to point out the real problem!

"I know, and they know that, too." Jun watched their stare down. None of them dared to blink. Well, Chazz blinked, but pretended he didn't by glaring harsher. "Kaiba will go easy on him, and he's doing this because Chazz wants to. He's in pain, and words, dancing, and duels won't work."

"You're all fuckin' crazy." Jaswinder ran in to do something to stop this, but then the two lunged at each other, and Chazz turned into a lightning bolt that stuck Kaiba's chest. Kaiba used his powers to have Chazz turn back to normal, and he used his arms to hold the child down. Chazz uppercut him again, but Kaiba didn't let go.

Jaswinder watched as Chazz struggled and struggled to get out of the man's embrace through punching, kicking, striking him with electricity, and even biting him! Kaiba did nothing but hold onto the child, and it looked like he was in deep thought while he held onto the child as if his life depended on it. When Chazz could escape, he only pulled him back into his embrace until the child finally stopped struggling, and just cried in his arms.

Jaswinder stared at the end of the lackluster fight before looking back at her incarnations over her shoulder. "You bitches knew he wasn't going to actually hit him again, didn't you?!"

Jun and Xiaoling shrugged and answered simultaneously, "You got the nicest version of him."

Seto saw that Chazz's dragon form faded away. Light and Darkness Dragon appeared with a worry whine. The adult told him, "It's okay. I'll take care of him."

Chazz sobbed, "No."

"Why?" asked a tired Seto. Those lightning bolts were painful.

"Because you don't like me. You hate me." The child sniffed and hiccuped.

The man huffed. "Please. If I hated you, I wouldn't have bothered to be so nice to you. You also need to understand that I don't just like anyone. At least not the way you want me to. I love Mokuba because he's my little brother. I love Joey, but that took time for both of us to realize that we even liked each other at first. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings because of my lack of affection for you. Perhaps in the future, I will come to like you."

"Really?" Chazz sounded hopeful now that he knew that there was a chance. He really liked Seto.

"Perhaps." The duelist replied coolly. He found his cheeks pressed by a pair of small hands, and his eyes laid on a bright smile with sparkling, starry eyes.

"Then I'll work hard for you to love me, too!" The six-year-old declared. Seto wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but the child was too sparkly to reject after everything they went through at the moment.

Joey appeared after he got a call from Roland that something was happening at the mansion, and came to see the shattered floors, the hole that strangely looked like the outline of a child's body, broken down stairs, and the males' torn clothing, and dirty faces from the dust.

But the only thing that stuck out to Joey was the bruise and tears on Chazz's cheek. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together.

 _ **WHAM!**_

Seto found himself ten feet underground with nearly every bone in his body broken, and blood bleeding internally and externally. He wasn't sure if he was unconscious or dazed.

Joey took Chazz in his arms, and walked away. He was going to give the Light the same treatment after Chazz told him what happened.

._._._.

Months after the fight, the CEO felt more at ease and...more amused when he was allowed to be near Chazz. The adults were furious with what he did, but Chazz and his past incarnations reassured them that it wasn't that bad. Jaswinder was still angry at being tricked. The Light was still forbidden to see Chazz until the interboy was willing to forgive her.

Seto Kaiba already knew many things about Chazz, but his initial opinion on them were negative since he judged the child harshly. Now, he saw beyond the speck of light that everyone saw in the kid who smiled brightly, acted polite yet sassy, be passionately in love with dueling and dancing, and created followers/friends wherever he went. Chazz didn't really do anything to make Seto love him. He just simply did what he usually did, but with a little more affection towards the CEO.

Mokuba and Noe would tease Seto about how Chazz was practically his and Joey's child since Chazz was richly egotistical like him while also charmingly goofy like Joey. Seto would dismiss their teasing, but when he would watch Joey and Chazz play together, he couldn't help feeling like a proud married father watching his wife and their child being happy, but that was silly to him. However, after watching and even partaking in their games continuously, it stopped being so silly.

"Do you like me better now?" Chazz randomly asked while the two were testing out the duel racing video arcade machine prototypes (Works similarly to turbo duels, but safer arcade style). Crimson had told Seto about how she could only be summoned through collected duel energy that's accumulated into a person through speed, and that it could create a new form of special summoning that they could call 'Synchro summoning'. However, the modern technology wasn't up to date to make it possible. Probably take a hundred years, but Seto had that kind of time since his dragon powers allowed him to live four hundred more years.

"Hmm." Seto amusingly hummed to that question. "What do you think?"

Chazz snickered and grinned at the man. "I think you do!" He declared, but then that grin softened to an unsure smile. His grey eyes pleading for confirmation.

The adult softly snorted. "How about after this round, we'll have a dance? Perhaps then we'll know for sure."

The interboy's eyes lit up at the suggestion! "Alright! I'm going to beat you!" They raced and dueled, and Chazz lost like expected, but he knew that he gave his all, and he would do better next time!

The two then went to a dance room after getting dressed in the appropriate attire for a danseur. The half blue-eyed dragon used his powers to play the ballet music from _Coppelia_ just like before. However, this time the two danced perfectly with a more fond, soothing atmosphere around them.

Their height difference was drastic, but they made it work as if they were using magic to make their movements flow and not look awkward at all for onlookers. It truly looked like a father or an older brother professionally dancing with his child or little sibling. Chazz felt delight when the tall man picked her up because it was so high that she was practically soaring. Seto admired how graceful the child moved that it overflowed the room with a feeling of peaceful serenity. It truly felt like their dancing was in a world of their own and they were transcending the words that described its perfection.

They finished to the end, and Seto sealed their friendship by gently cupping the small ballerina's cheeks and placing a cherishing kiss on her forehead. Chazz blushed by the affection. Her cheeks bright pink on her fair complexion.

"Oh wow, I didn't think Kaiba could dance like that!" Yugi covered his mouth. He meant to whisper that.

Joey snorted. "Well, well, it looks like Seto has seen de light! Now don't go trying to steal him away from me, Chazz!" He playfully warned, and saw that Chazz was bashfully holding her pink tinted cheeks. "Oh! How cute! He's embarrassed! How about I give ya a kiss, too!" He removed one of Chazz's hands and kissed her cheek.

Chazz's face became a darker pink!

"I guess it's my turn!" Yugi kissed Chazz's other cheek. Chazz got ever a darker shade of pink that she was practically looking red!

"Hey! Don't hog him!" Noe ran into the dance room and gave Chazz a kiss on the nose!

Chazz was positively red now!

Mokuba snuck a kiss to the bottom corner of her chin, and she was a steaming red eggplant now!

Chazz felt her heart about to burst from all the love in the room that she fainted. Later, she found herself awake and sleeping in between her brothers on her own bed. The two must've came home and felt like spending time with her even if they were asleep. At least, they were close to each other like a family would be. Chazz felt her heart become warm and knew that Light and Darkness Dragon was also truly in bliss.

Chazz certainly felt loved.

 _Song: Love Again - From Sailor Moon Crystal_

 _beep...beep...beep..._

._._._.

A/N: Now prepare yourself for Crimson and little Jaden!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I know I said that it wasn't GX rivalshipping, but this was essential to my story, and it is the kid version where Jaden and Chazz aren't heavily traumatized.

My new OC will be gender-neutral but she can be transfeminine which means she feels like she is both genders neutrally, but can lean towards being a woman a bit more.

._._._.

 _Song: Puppy Love - Perfume_

On Chazz's seventh birthday, Crimson was finally free from any current huge responsibilities across the dimensions. She finally reconnected with her mother since she had the power to see them like Chazz did. She questioned Xiaoling of why she wasn't able to do that when they were together. The cat answered that she hadn't thought about it, and figured that now that all five pieces were usable, this sort of thing was possible.

Crimson also wanted to see the reincarnation of her father since he must be reincarnated now. Jun informed her that he was, but Chazz didn't like him because he was an annoying energetic kid.

"But didn't you think that same thing when you were seven, mom?" Crimson pointed out. The two of them with Jun's reincarnations were at Chazz's room where they were watching a movie. "You two fell in love in only a week! Chazz's spring break is coming up, and he has TWO weeks off!"

Jun snorted. "Okay, first off, your father and I didn't fall in love that week."

Jaswinder and Xiaoling snorted loudly.

"Why are you snorting?!"

Xiaoling sang, "Jun and Judai sitting on a tree-"

Jun slammed her hands on the floor! "WE DID NOTHING! I was never in love with Judai! I never was! Crimson you were made from the feelings of mistake! But that's okay! You're still perfect! Who your parents are don't define you!"

Crimson snorted and then burst out laughing. She hugged her mother's intangible body. "I almost forgot how hyper you were! Xiaoling is really different from you."

The cat explained, "That's because I wasn't emotionally traumatized."

Jaswinder added, "And I was told my prediction of when I would die, so I don't go around being a coward of my feelings."

Jun felt arrows strike her from the cruel words. She lied on the floor defeated. Her reincarnations were such bitches.

"Mama! Pull through! It isn't too late to confess your love for papa!" Her daughter encouraged her!

"I have nothing to confess!" Jun vehemently denied, but she wasn't convincing at all.

Chazz decided to speak, "I don't really know of what you're talking about, but if it's about that annoying boy, I want nothing to do with him, but I promised that we'd duel again."

"Oh wow, you don't remember defeating a humongous monster with a dragon for a dick, but you remember making a promise with an obnoxious boy you only met once." Jaswinder deadpanned.

"Pfft!" His three incarnations and Crimson teased with their mouths covered by the back of their hand like those fancy bitches in 90's anime shows, "He's in LOOOOVE!"

Chazz went full red. "I am not! And why are you joining Jun! You're the reason I'm being pushed into this! You could have just not replied back you thirsty woman!"

"Who are you calling thirsty?! And why do you even know that slang?!"

Jaswinder pointed an accusing finger at her out of nowhere, "Admit it! Johan wasn't created by friendship! Condoms were just not invented at that time!"

Xiaoling included, "And Crimson's real father is Cook! I see the resemblance!"

"Mother is that true?!" Crimson looked like she believed them.

"No! Crimson if you were Cook's daughter, you would've been part crocodile!"

"But I have the desire to go back into the ocean and eat seafood!"

"That's only a coincidence, and crocodiles don't live in the ocean!"

"They do in some dimensions!"

"Are you really questioning your mother's fidelity?!" Jun got on her hands and knees on the floor once again defeated.

The females ignored her to plan Operation: Soul Mates while Chazz bothered to pet her head.

When Spring break came, Crimson with Slade's and Jagger's permission allowed her to make Chazz meet the reincarnation of her father, but only if Yubel was nowhere to be found. The reincarnation of Yubel was nowhere to be found around the seven-year-old, so it was a go!

First, Crimson did like she planned with her mothers where Chazz was to be dressed like a girl with a fake identity since the Princetons were popular. It wouldn't be good if Jaden went around telling people that he met Chazz Princeton. She used her powers to make Chazz's hair grow a bit so she could clip the back up with a ribbon to keep the mohawk style. She dressed her up in a cute, black, floral patterned top, a high waisted white skater skirt, and a pair of black boots with a bit of bedazzle on them.

The two went to a park where Jaden was playing with the other children with his nanny watching over him. It turned out that Jaden's parents were workaholics who fell in love and had a child by accident. They figured that it was okay to do an off hands parent style, so it would be convenient for them to do what they liked with their careers, and schedule a time to meet once or twice a month.

Crimson also discovered that Jaden had no problem inviting complete strangers into his home while his nanny was busy doing whatever the hell she liked. As long as Jaden was alive and physically healthy, then there was no problems at all for the adults. The dragon girl didn't judge the situation. She met plenty of people who were raised in that lifestyle, and as much as they had problems with it, they grew up very fine. Plus, it made her job easier to gain trust to infiltrate the territory!

She pushed Jun onto the playground while acting like her loving mother her sat next to the nanny on the bench. She planned to become friends with the nanny, so when Chazz successfully gained access into the house, she can go in with her! The plan was solid. The only problem was whether Chazz could become friends with Jaden, and actually come to like him.

Chazz went up to Jaden who got on top of the monkey bars, and pretended to fly like a super hero. The little interboy glared up at him, and felt her cheeks turn pink. She didn't know what to say, and just staring was just weird! She hurriedly turned away and was about to make a run for it, but the targeted object saw her.

"Oh hey! I haven't seen you here before! Are you new here?" The seven year old jumped down the bars.

Chazz felt bullets rain on him from behind, and her only choice of action was to retreat! She skittered off to the bushes!

"Hey wait! Don't run away!" Jaden ran after her.

The nanny lazily called out, "Don't go too far, Jaden."

Crimson was about to clock her! Doesn't she know that leaving a kid unsupervised led to kidnapping! She used her powers to be aware of where they were.

Chazz climbed up a tree and hid at the farthest branch from the ground so the boy wouldn't see her. Her past incarnations appeared.

"Well, I'm disappointed. I wasn't afraid at all when I met Judai." Jun couldn't look more disappointed even if she wanted to. Chazz ignored her and the others.

"It's natural for children in this type of society to fear socializing since television was invented. They're smarter, so they know the cost for befriending others. In this case, it's to become childhood sweethearts, and knowing in a few years that they'll begin questioning if their relationship is more damaging to their growth than helpful."

Xiaoling said, "That depends if you're just 'settling' in a relationship. To settle isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're settling because you gave up in trying to make it better, then unknowingly you are letting it rot."

Jun agreed, "Judai and I weren't exactly childhood sweethearts, but we never settled for less from each other. He wanted me to be able to relax with doing nothing since I was always anxious when I was, and I wanted him to be more serious with his work, so I was sure that he was taking our relationship seriously."

Jaswinder poked at Chazz's cheek. "Don't be such a wimp!"

"I'm not a wimp!" The child tried to bite off her finger viciously, but she was intangible. "And why do I have to bother being his friend! He looks like an idiot!"

"We know." Jun and Jaswinder agreed. Xiaoling never met the guy, so she just went back into Chazz's soul to sleep. She'll be given the details later.

"There you are!" Jaden heard her yelling, and saw the girl hugging the branch above him. "What are you doing all the way up there!" He smiled up at her with his big round eyes.

Chazz felt her heartbeat race! She tried to deny it, but she couldn't! He's too CUTE! Totally her type with his big brown adorable eyes, big dumb smile, and his hair looked like a freakin' kuriboh! He looked funny and adorable! Her one weakness!

"It's none of your business! Leave me alone! Hey! Hey, don't climb up! Listen to me when I'm talking to you! I swear I'm going to push you off if you come over here! I don't care if you snap your neck and die! I mean it!" Chazz threatened him, but even though she did, she rearranged herself to sit on the branch so there was space for the boy to sit next to her.

Jaden got comfortable next to the new girl, and took in the view. "Oh wow! It's so high up here that I can see the tall buildings! I bet I could see my house if I got even higher!" He then looked to the girl who was avoiding eye contact. "My name is Jaden! What's yours?!"

Chazz hesitated to tell him, but they were destined to be friends, so she bothered to speak the name she was given to tell, "It's Renee."

"Renee?"

"It's French and it means reborn. Cri- I mean my mother thought it would fit me." Chazz felt very stiff and wanted to remain stiff.

"Reborn huh? That's really cool! I wonder what my name means!"

"It means 'He will judge' and it's of Hebrew origin. My mother is really into names. She believes that a name can define a huge part of someone's future, and the story behind it may be dull or full of meaning." His daughter from a past life was only given a name before being sent out to space to survive and thrive. Her name was a color, but it held a story of an unrequited love and tragedy filled with hope.

Chazz felt his heart ease up a bit. It's just a stupid boy. He met plenty of them. He's not special if Chazz forgets the past life stories.

"That's cool! So mine is 'He will judge'? Judge what?"

"It's probably a religious thing since it's Hebrew, so don't think about it too much."

Jaden heard the word 'religion' before, and it sounded like a complicated concept when people talked about it, so he didn't bother thinking about it. "Oh, okay. So why did you run away?"

"That's none of your business! I just like it up here! And you!" He glared hard at the boy. Not liking his greeting tone at all. "Do you really not recognize me?!"

Jaden's brows furrowed. "Re-recognize?"

"We met before!" The seven-year-old may be under a different name, but he still looked like himself! "Last year!"

"Last year?" Jaden minus the number from his age. "I was only six! I don't remember much before kindergarten."

Chazz could not believe him! "WE PROMISED TO DUEL, IDIOT!"

The sudden screech put the young brunet off balance. "AH!" Chazz tried to straighten him up, but he also lost his balance and the two fell down!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Crimson quickly waved her hand to have the wind soften their landing, but the wind caused both of their cards to scatter on the ground below them.

"Oh no! My cards! It's mixed with yours! Light and Darkness Dragon! Are you okay?!" Chazz hurriedly looked for his cards while throwing Jaden's cards over his shoulder. "So you still use a hero deck! How lame!"

"Hey, they're not lame!" Jaden angrily yelled out but he was ignored.

"Light and Darkness Dragon speak to me!" Chazz cried out and the Dragon appeared with his card glowing.

Jaden was amazed by the sight of the magnificent, ferocious dragon. "Light and Darkness Dragon?" the boy felt a rush from the fall, and the rush helped him remember a dragon that was made both of light and darkness. Then the duel with a girl in a tutu came back to him. "It's you!"

Chazz got her cards, and when she heard Jaden finally remember her, she glared at the boy over her shoulder. Jaden guiltily grinned with his hand behind his head, and apologized, "Sorry! I just remembered! You're that girl I dueled last year! I don't remember the details, but I definitely remember your dragon! There's no way I can forget him! Hey there!" He waved his hand at LAD-Dragon who gave a soft rumble to show his acknowledgement.

"Hmph! Well, you can forget about us, you ungrateful brat! We're leaving!"

"What?! Why?!"

"I came all this way to fulfill a promise and you don't bother remembering it!"

"I was six!"

"I was six, too! But I see that I was a fool into thinking you cared about our duel!"

"I do! It's just that you look different! If you came wearing a tutu, I might've remembered you! But that would've been weird. I mean who goes to a park wearing a tutu?" Jaden lightly laughed at the idea, but then stopped when Chazz got up with her deck, and began to walk away. Jaden hurriedly gathered his cards, and ran after her. "Hey wait! I said I'm sorry! Can you please forgive me! I really wanna duel you! I do! I do! I promise that I'll never forget you ever again! So please duel me! My house is nearby, and we have tons of snacks!"

Chazz stopped. He had to secretly admit that he liked hearing the boy beg for her forgiveness, and she liked the sound of snacks offered. "What kind of snacks?"

Jaden brightened up! He happily answered, "Tons! My parents travel the world for work, and they always buy me toys and snacks wherever they go, so I have different snacks all over the world! You can invite your mom over, too!"

Chazz remained silent for at least a minute before answering. She didn't want to seem too easy to sway. She was taught to never easily accept a guy's invitation. It's always best to make them grovel, so they know that she had high standards, and has better things to do than spend time with them. "...Alright."

"YAY! Let's go!" Jaden grabbed her free hand, and pulled her to their guardians.

The nanny just shrugged when he asked if they could come over, and the four of them went. Crimson sent a thumbs up to Chazz who just looked away while blushing.

The home was a pretty decent two story home that Chazz would see in television series. Jaden showed her the snack storage room that held its own refrigerator to keep the cold snacks. After choosing their treats, the two of them went to the kitchen table, and began their duel. Crimson and the nanny were at the living room watching television, though the red head spent most of her time using her x rays to watch them.

Chazz and Jaden dueled at least ten times and they were surprisingly evenly matched. Jaden won the first duel, but Chazz won the last. They had spent most of their time talking about dueling and expressing how much they love it.

When it was nearly time for dinner, the nanny decided to eat out. The two children began talking about other things at the restaurant.

"So you're seven just like me! And our birthdays are on the same month! It's weird how your birthday is the first day of the month and mine is the last! Isn't it weird!" Jaden questioned energetically.

Chazz was calm with his answered, "Yeah, it's weird, but I was born first, so I win."

"Huh?! How can that be a competition! We didn't even know each other back then!"

"Doesn't matter. I win. And I'm also taller than you, so I win that competition, too!"

"If your keeping that kind of score, then I bet I win in sports! I'm crazy competitive in them! I accidentally sprained my ankle once while playing baseball because I slid to home too hard."

"I'm not a fan of sports, so I guess you win that round, but I am the best dancer!"

"You dance?"

"I'm a ballerina." Chazz proudly told him.

"Oh right! You wore a tutu like one back then! Will you show me how you dance next time?"

"Uhm..." The little interboy looked over to Crimson who was immersed in her own conversation with the nanny, so the kids would be immersed in theirs. "My mom and I are spending Spring break here, so I'll be around for these two weeks."

Jaden's eyes lit up. "REALLY?!"

"Don't shout so loud!" The grey-eyed child berated him!

"So-sorry! I'm just so happy! We'll get to duel for two weeks straight, and you can show me your dancing, and I can introduce you to my friends! This is going to be the best Spring break ever!"

Chazz felt his cheeks become warm by the unintended compliment. "I-idiot. As if I want to spend my whole Spring break with you."

"Don't be like that, Renee! It'll be a lot of fun! I really want to get to know more about you! You're awesome!"

"Of course, I'm awesome!..And I guess you're pretty awesome yourself. Your dueling is not that bad."

"Awe shucks! Yours isn't that bad, too!"

Chazz felt a vein throb by that slight insult. "Idiot! You just keep getting lucky!"

The two talked throughout dinner about their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their school life and other stuff. Chazz was careful to not say too much that would reveal that he was rich and a Princeton. Crimson was happy to see the reincarnation of her parents get along so well.

After dinner, the two separated. Jaden made Chazz promise to see him tomorrow so the two could duel and play some video games, too. Chazz refused to make such a promise, so Crimson made it for her.

"You didn't have to make the promise for me! I was just trying to play hard to get! It's no good if I agree to everything that boy wants. I was told that boys like him would walk all over you and not take you seriously unless you teach them their place!" The two appeared at his room. Chazz scolded his daughter from a past life, "Next time, you should butt out until I need you!"

Crimson held in her laughter and awing at how serious Chazz was in becoming Jaden's girlfriend. "Alright. Alright. I promise! But you have to try to stop calling Jaden an idiot. That isn't very nice!" She scolded him, and Chazz said nothing about it. He'll do what he liked. "Anyway, tomorrow, you're going on your own to Jaden's house."

"Why alone?" He got into his pajamas.

"Because some guy in another dimension is threatening to destroy cities, and I have to stop him. But don't worry. Tea will be free to watch over you the day after tomorrow at the mean time since she's also taking a vacation." She helped tuck her reincarnated mother into bed.

"Hmm. Okay." He liked Tea, so he was fine with it.

._._._.

The next day, Chazz had breakfast with his brothers and told them only insults about Jaden, which translated to them as 'HE WAS REALLY REALLY CUTE! AND I'M TOO EMBARRASSED TO SAY ANYTHING GOOD ABOUT HIM!'. They held in their laughter, and just nodded with agreeing smiles to whatever he said. They would laugh and joke about it later when he wasn't around.

Crimson was still around to at least drop him off. Jaden greeted her first with a big smile, and pulled her to his bedroom where everything was already prepared. The television and game station were turned on, and two controllers and several games were laid out to choose. The snacks and drinks with empty trashcans were set for them in hands reach.

"I have a lot of games! But some of them is in another language. I can speak English and Japanese, but reading Japanese with kanji in them is another story. What about you?"

"I can speak and read about twenty languages." Chazz said that as if she said, "I like cookies and cream." Her brothers could speak three or even four times that many languages.

"EEEEEEH?!" Jaden's eyes went comically wide. "Twe-twenty?!"

"About twenty." Chazz corrected him as she got comfortable on a bean bag. "It's important that I know several languages all over the world in order to properly communicate with duelists from different places. How do you expect to duel someone from China if you don't know mandarin, which is by the way the most spoken language in the world!"

"But you-you're the same age as me, aren't you?!" Jaden was on his hand and knees in front of the person he saw as a female. He was overtaken by awe!

"Hmph! Don't lump me with the likes of you! I'm more serious about becoming a professional duelist, so I studied hard at what's expected of them!"

"Huh." Jaden found his bearings, and got comfortable on his bean bag. "I didn't realize learning different languages came with it. I just thought everyone would learn English or Japanese in order to play the game."

Chazz let him know, "Kaiba corporation export cards that's translated to a country's main language. It's a game meant to be enjoyed by everyone, and if you're serious about becoming a pro-duelist, then you should start learning how to speak different languages, too! You should also learn a country's customs, too, or else you might insult someone!"

"I don't want to do that! Will you teach me?"

"Teach you? Are you even able to study?"

"Nope! But I'm really seriously about dueling! If you only spoke French and I only spoke Japanese, then we'd never be able to duel! Are you French by the way?"

"No. I'm purely Japanese." Chazz's ancestors immigrated to America and had their last name changed to Princeton to fit in since it was a must for survival. Although their names were all English, his line of ancestors were all Japanese.

"Me too! Although my mom said that we have some non-Japanese ancestors, but the recent ones were all Japanese. So what languages do you speak?"

Chazz bothered to say the list, "I can speak and read English, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic, Javanese, Vietnamese, Korean, French, Turkish, Italian, German, and Swahili. That's seventeen, I think. I am still learning several other languages." He sounded like it was no big deal that he could speak all of them.

That just made the upper middle class boy all the more impress. "Whooooa! Say something in French!"

"No! You're just going to make me speak a lot of random languages! I came here to play games! Now be your KC translator!"

"Ah right. Sorry! I'll put in a game right away! How about the capsule monsters video game? It's filled with adventure and duel monsters! But inside capsules." He suggested while already putting in the game, so Chazz didn't bother to answer. After getting through the intro, and getting used the the controls, the two spent two hours just playing games and eating snacks.

After completing nearly half the game and reaching a safe point, Jaden suggested to go play outside to stretch their legs. Chazz felt lethargic and his butt was hurting, so he agreed, and the two went out to the driveway that had a basketball hoop. The athletic boy taught the sports newbie of how to play basketball. It wasn't hard since the rules were basic, and Chazz had fine body coordination with quick feet so getting even on the playing field with Jaden happened quick.

The two went one-on-one and Jaden obviously scored more, but Chazz wasn't far behind. Although, none of them were really keeping track. Competitive they were, but they were more interested in their childish smack talking than who actually scored a hoop.

"It pays to be taller, doesn't it short stop!" Chazz teased the shorter brunet as she was bouncing the ball with one hand.

Jaden was trying to block her. "It's true that you gotta be tall when playing basketball, but even short guys like me are able to be good if they can jump high! And I can jump to the top!"

"Let's see you try, Mr. Kuriboh!" Chazz shot for the hoop, and Jaden jumped up and successfully slapped it away!

"That's right! I am a Kuriboh! Kuriboh with wings of glory! Now that's game!" He did his own trademark hand sign after a good game. The two were sweating and hungry. His stomach growled loudly.

Chazz snorted. "Oh please! I definitely Renee'd it to you (relayed it to you) that I am the best! It's only my first time learning basketball, and I'm practically at your league, and if I actually cared, I'd leave you in my dust!"

"That'd be exciting to see! Not that many girls play for some reason."

"Patriarchal system." The rich child answered.

But the second grader didn't know the word. "What?"

"Nothing. Let's eat, but I need a shower first. I didn't think I would sweat so much." It was a good kind of sweat that was refreshing when the cool outside breeze hit her heated skin, but it wasn't when sitting in it indoors. "I should go call Tea to bring my clothes over."

"If you're going to do that, then why don't you sleep over then?" Jaden suggested and offered. "We can have a slumber party!"

"You'd have a slumber party with a girl?" Chazz could not believe such a crude idea.

But Jaden didn't understand what was wrong with that. "Uh yeah. Because I want to still hang out with you. Why don't you just stay at my house for the rest of the Spring Break! My nanny won't mind! I had friends stay over longer!"

"Because it's not right! Boys and girls don't have slumber parties together!"

"Why?"

"Why?...Just wait! Let me make a call!" Chazz dialed up Jagger's number.

The adopted older brother answered, "Hello?"

"Jagger, are you busy?"

"Just calculating numbers at the moment. I have time to spare. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just need you to answer why it's wrong for girls and boys to have slumber parties together?"

"Why huh? Are you planning to stay over at that Jaden boy's house for the night?"

Jaden had been leaning in to listen to the conversation and took the phone to answer, "I actually want her to stay for the Break! Can she stay?! Pleeeease!"

"Don't yell into my phone, idiot!" She took it back, and smack him on the head for the rude action.

"Ow!" Jaden held his pained head.

"Serves you right! You know what Jagger! Never mind! I don't-"

"I don't mind you staying over for the Spring Break." Jagger answered casually.

Chazz was stunned. He couldn't say another word until he found her bearings. "What? Why would you allow me?!"

"Because Slade and I will be extra busy this break that we won't even be able to see each other for meals. Seto and Mokuba Kaiba also have to deal with the rise in sales for their games. Crimson, Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Muto, and Ms. Noe are busy protecting our world. The only one available is Mrs. Muto, but she may be called back into work even though she's on vacation. I still don't trust the Light after the motorcycle stunt, not that we can't top her from seeing you, but I rather you be with tangible company that Crimson reassured me zealously that they are trustworthy company. I'm sorry Chazz. We want to make time for you, but-"

"I understand." Chazz did. It wasn't like he was entirely alone. He had Light and Darkness Dragon and his past incarnations to watch over him. And it would be safer at Jaden's house since no one knew he was there, and it would be a lot more fun than being stuck in a mansion. "I'll head home first to get my stuff. Tell Slade I love the both of you."

"And we love you more than anything. Your worth more than the money I'm held responsible with, and Slade loves you more than how far he could throw his fellow politicians."

Chazz smiled happily at the words. Jagger was practically responsible for all the money the banks around the world held, and Slade could throw a person really far when he's pushed to. "And I love you two more than fried shrimp."

"Not duel monsters?" The man in finance joked.

Chazz kid back, "Don't push it. See you after Spring Break."

"See you."

The two hung up, and Chazz glared at the younger boy. "It looks like I have no choice but to stay at your house for the next two weeks."

"Alright!" Jaden jumped to the air with a fist pump. "We're going to read comic books, tell ghost stories, make smores, play duel monsters, and I'll teach you more sports, and you can show me how you dance, and my friends will be done with-"

"What about your homework?" Chazz was already done with his since he knew better than to slack!

A dark, doomed atmosphere surrounded the usually brighter child. "I-I don't have any homework."

Chazz immediately saw the lie, and called him out on it. "Liar! You're getting it done tonight or else I won't play with you!" He grabbed his wrist to drag him into the house while he called Tea, so she could talk to the nanny about staying over for the next two weeks. The older woman used a special card that allowed her to travel with her car to drive over to where Chazz was. After the nanny agreed very easily, Tea and Chazz first went to his house, so he could pack his stuff.

At his home, Tea had to answer some calls while he took a shower , put on fresh, comfy clothes, and then received help from his dragon and his past incarnations to know what to pack in his luggage since he was practically moving into a new, less fancy home.

"Moving into your future husband's home before marriage?" Xiaoling inquired with a mischievous expression half sealed by her paw. "Oh my, how indecent. Fufufufu!"

Chazz went bright red by the indecent tone. "I'm not moving in! And he's not my future husband! I'm going to marry someone who isn't an idiot like Seto Kaiba!"

Jun burst out laughing! "Oh Ra! Oh Ra! I never thought I'd ever hear myself ever say that!" She rolled on the floor and slammed her fists on it until she could calm down. She took a deep breath and said, "Y'know, maybe Daichi reincarnated or Ryo did. I wasn't in love with them, but it'd be nice for little us to see them. Maybe you could marry new Daichi like I was supposed to."

Jaswinder agreed through the memories she saw in Jun's, "That would be pleasant. He's a born genius who has what it takes to conquer practically any field in science, and there would be no surprise that he would have a nice body."

"A man with looks, muscles and brains. Yuuuum." Xiaoling purred. The three of them day dreamed about the human version of Daichi and how he would look like now with modern scientist outfits.

Chazz pointedly ignored them since he had no interest in this 'Daichi' and packed up everything he needed. He decided that he had everything that he needed, and had Tea drop him off at Jaden's house before she left. She would come to check on him tomorrow.

The two children spent time at the living room doing his homework. Chazz forced him to do it, and the stuff wasn't even complicated!

"You were given only two assignments! You only have to do some math problems and write a journal about what you did each day for Spring Break!"

"I know! I can do the journal part, but the math..."

"You cannot be serious! You are able to multiply how much attack points goes into your monster after activating a spell card, but you can't bother doing simple equations without them!"

"My brain works better when I duel!"

"Then pretend you're dueling, idiot! Pretending that the top number is the attack points and the bottom number is the effect from a monster or a spell or trap card!"

"Spell or trap...Hmm..." Jaden began imagining the numbers being painted on a bunch of toy looking robots with red capes on and imagining different scenarios. He then wrote down each answer with more ease while also using his fingers to count.

Chazz checked them when he was finish. "They're all correct. Good job."

"Alright! So does that mean that we can play games!"

"Are you done writing in your journal?"

"But the day isn't over yet! I already wrote about yesterday, and there's still so much I want to do with you right now!"

"Fine." Chazz sounded resigned, though a bit excited.

And so the two went to his room and Jaden showed him his comic book stash that was all about different types of heroes going through different types of adventures, and Chazz just looked at the colorful pictures while Jaden practically explained everything like a poorly made, childish documentary.

They quickly moved over to watching duels on television and commenting on some moves before having their own duel. They then had dinner, and then made smores to go with their next activity of telling scary stories. They created a pillow fort in the living room, and turned off all the lights except for a toy campfire that was dimly bright to match the mood they wanted to make. They told different horror stories that they heard before, and some of them were scary, so after they were done story-telling and eating treats, the two got comfortable together under a blanket in the fort. They felt both warm and safe by each other sides.

"Today was really fun again! I don't want to sleep yet!"

"It's already past midnight. If you don't sleep now, you won't be able to wake up early." Chazz was already sleepy.

"Why don't we stay up to watch the sunrise!"

"We'll do that another time. If you can't sleep, then I'll tell you a bedtime story."

"Really? You know any?"

"I'll tell you my favorite one. Do you know Peter Pan?"

"Peter Pan! Yeah! I love that movie that's about a boy that never grows up and goes on adventures where he fights pirates and saves princesses! I wish I could be Peter Pan so I could never grow up!"

"Figures. I don't like Peter Pan."

"What? Why not?"

"Because he's a kid. I want to be like Wendy. Someone who grows up to become a mature and beautiful woman."

"OOOOh. If it's you, Renee, you can do it. You're already mature and beautiful." Jaden said without a shred of doubt or sweetness. Just plain truth.

Chazz felt his body feel a nice light glow that made him feel pleasantly happy. "Re-really?"

"Duh! You know so many things like an adult and you're also really pretty! You also duel really good, have an awesome dragon, and you're all around awesome! You're already Wendy!"

Chazz knew Jaden didn't know what he was doing to the child who hadn't felt this kind of stroke to her ego. She didn't feel like doing anything mean, so she was left with doing what she felt that was out of her character, but she wanted to be a little bit nicer to Jaden for the compliment. "Let's get on with the story."

"I'm ready!"

Chazz told the story that he knew from the book's kid version, and was tolerant with the interruptions. Jaden fell asleep near the end, and Chazz followed suit. Everything was truly lovely and tranquil.

The Light watched them in secret, and wanted to disrupt it, but she loved Chazz. She'll ruin another couple instead. Then she felt her phone vibrate. She checked to see that she had a notification from her private website. "So some woman that goes by the last name Pheonix wants me to rid of her ex-husband." A devious smirk played on her lips. She slid into the fort and gently stroked Chazz's hair. "Let's play a game."

._._._.

 _Song: When You Were Mine - Lady Antebellum_

For the first week of Spring Break, the two children spent a lot of their time dueling, playing different kinds of sports, and Chazz even bothered to teach Jaden how to do some ballet moves such as a pirouette and how to mime the invitation to dance. Jaden was really at awe by how good Chazz danced, and Chazz admitted that she was at awe at how much strength he could exert into a ball. Chazz still acted a bit snooty to Jaden, but he stopped acting hard to get, and just played what Jaden wanted to play because it was fun.

Light and Darkness Dragon got along really well with Jaden, though the dragon didn't appear too much since he was shy among new company. Jaden didn't mind, and was always welcoming when LAD-Dragon did appear. Chazz's past incarnations would come out time and again to help Chazz or tease him whenever Jaden and him held hands, or Jaden said something really nice that would make Chazz blush. Though the three of them butted out most of the time since it was their love story.

They also went to a water park, watched a movie together, and went to an aquarium.

Now, they were having a sleepover at a Space and Science center. The two kids were watching the different constellations of space, and didn't really know what kinds of constellations they were looking at. But Chazz recognized a red star that was shown.

"That one is the Mighty Dragon Star!" He pointed at it.

"Whoa! Really! That's a dragon star?" Jaden was at awe that a dragon star existed!

Chazz nodded. "It's the home of the Crimson Dragon."

"Crimson Dragon?"

"The Crimson Dragon is one of the most powerful dragons that it creates a new form of summoning that Kaiba Corporation won't be able to make until a hundred years or more."

"A new way of summoning that can't happen until a hundred years? That's no fair! I'll be a very old man by then!"

"You really think you can live over a hundred years?"

"Of course! A lot of old timers are over a hundred years old!"

"With how reckless you are, I'm not surprised that you'll kick the bucket when you're thirty because you wanted to see if you could fly by using fireworks."

"I'm not that dumb! Even I know that fireworks can't make you fly! Wings do!"

Chazz snorted. "Then you'll definitely fly, but you'll die by being struck by lightning."

"No I won't! I will never die! Just watch me! I'll live over a hundred years and meet the Crimson Dragon!"

The ravenet wanted to tell the clueless boy that he already met her, but the truth will reveal itself later. Jaden didn't need to know all about the tragic past, yet, but Chazz thought it wouldn't hurt to know of how Jaden will react if he heard the story without knowing it was him.

So Chazz asked, "Do you want to know about the story behind the Crimson Dragon? How she was born."

"You know the story?" Chazz nodded. "But it's a story about forbidden lovers."

"Forbidden lovers? Like Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah, but more complicated than that three-day disaster."

"Complicated?"

"You see in this story, people hated light and darkness monsters who married each other and made babies together."

"Why would they hate that?"

"I was told the reason, but it didn't make sense. There was a legend about a darkness who was a good guy who was fated to take down a light that was the bad guy. Because of this, people thought that the two different types of monsters shouldn't be married."

"But in duel monsters, light and dark type monsters aren't good or bad guys."

"Things were a lot different back then. That star is over ten thousand years old."

"Over ten thousand?! So wait, is this like back then when people believed that two guys or girls shouldn't marry each other, but now it's totally fine, that why it wasn't back then, doesn't make any sense."

"Exactly like that. But it was more dangerous back then since dragons and goblins existed back then. Light and Darkness monsters who loved each other didn't want to be hurt or separated no matter what people said, so they created their own utopia. In this utopia, a princess of both light and darkness in her was born just like light and darkness dragon but she was a human girl with wings." Jun, Jaswinder, Xiaoling, and LAD-Dragon appeared to listen to how Chazz would tell the general's past.

"Cool!" Jaden would love to have wings. His awed smile made Jun smile, too. It reminded her of Judai.

Chazz continued, "The princess was a beautiful, intelligent, and strong girl who was loved by all her citizens. She was given the responsibility to make sure no one in the kingdom was hated for no good reasons, and in order to do that, the kingdom rarely let anyone outside the kingdom in for fear that they would spread their unneeded hatred. However, a world war was about to happen outside of her kingdom because a boy born of darkness with the fate to fate the bad guy was found in one kingdom, and was adopted as the prince. The other kingdoms also wanted the boy because whoever possessed the boy would become powerful. The Light and Darkness Kingdom didn't care about this boy since he was partly responsible for why they were created in the first place. But because they didn't care, the adoptive father of this boy sought their help. The Princess didn't like the boy at first because he acted really annoying like you."

Jaden was shocked to hear that. "Like me?!"

"But after spending a lot of time together, they became friends."

"Oh! Like us!" He was glad to hear that part.

"Yeah, but they don't have a happy ending."

"What?! Why?!"

"Weren't you listening? This is a tale about forbidden lovers. It's because the two of them lived in separate worlds. The world that the Boy lived in despised her kind, and the Boy who was a Prince had to become King someday, and a King is only as powerful as the loyalty and love he gets from his people."

"But they fell in love right? Wouldn't the people understand and accept them if they really loved the king?"

"It's not that simple like the fairy tales you read. The Princess was an outsider, and people cherished their comfort more than the harmless happiness the King wanted to have. It's like the huge mess between Leonard Kip Rhinelander and Alice Jones*. Just because Alice Jone's father was a black man, the two had to be divorced, and it was very messy that they sued each other."

"But didn't they love each other?"

"I don't know, but the point is that the Princess and the Prince couldn't be together because people outside her kingdom didn't like her for a stupid reason. Now let me get on with the story."

"Okay. Sorry for interrupting."

"Now where was I. So after the Prince and Princess became friends, the two promise to write letters to each other in secret, and with each letter that was written, not only were their writing skills improved, but also their love grew bigger and bigger. But then the Princess's Kingdom was attacked by a ferocious monster, and took the Princess from her people, and ripped off her wings to make her human."

Jaden was aghast. "Why would he rip off her wings?!"

"So she could live in misery in the world outside of her kingdom. He made the Princess believe that her kingdom was destroyed, but the truth was that the kingdom was just moved to a different location. He told her the lie just to make her really sad, and live on her homeless days as a human because if her appearance was still like Light and Darkness Dragon, she would've been hurt by the people."

"That's really mean!" Jaden couldn't believe someone would trick the princess like that! That was down right cruel! "So you're saying that if Light and Darkness Dragon lived back then, he would've been hurt by them?"

"They would. They didn't care if it didn't make sense. People just believed what they were told to hate, and they hurt them even though they did nothing wrong." Chazz petted LAD-Dragon's head.

Jaden hugged his pillow. He didn't like this world, but he wanted to know what happened next.

Chazz continued, "The princess wallowed in her sadness in a forest, but one day, she realized that she couldn't wallow any longer! Even if her kingdom was destroyed, she was still the princess of her people, and she would carry on their will to make the world a better place where people can learn to accept other people! No matter how small or big the task, she would do anything in her power to try to set things right!"

Jaden was relieved to hear that! "Yeah! And the Prince?! What happened to him?! Did he think that the princess died?!"

The grey-eyed part female answered, "He became the king he was supposed to be, and all of his citizens loved him, but even if he was very well loved, he believed that the Princess was dead after he was told that the Princess's Kingdom was gone. He grieved for her, and mourned for her for many years until a General who was similar to the Princess appeared."

"Was the General the Princess?!"

"Yes. The Princess grew up to become a very fine woman who became a General who fought for equality among her people. Because she was human, no one at all knew that she was the Princess. Not even the King himself, but even though he didn't know, he fell in love with her because she was so much like the Princess who he fell in love with. The Princess wanted to tell the King the truth of who she was, but she was scared."

"Why? The King loved her."

"It's because the Princess knew that the King was sad because of her, and she felt guilty for hiding who she was from him. It's also because she was afraid of hurting the King's relationship with her people. Even though years had passed, people were still racist against mixed Dark and Light type monsters. It's also because she allied herself with the Light bad guy because the Light bad guy was able to hold back the ferocious monster who destroyed her kingdom from destroying her. Because of what she was, she was unsuited for the king, and she betrayed him, too."

"But the King would've forgiven her and hide who she actually was in front of his people! She didn't have to be scared!"

"It's stupid right, but it's called an irrational fear like those afraid of small spaces. The walls aren't closing in on you, but people think it is. The Princess lost her people and that messed with her head really bad. She was scared that the King's kingdom would be destroyed because of her, and it wasn't, but she thought it did."

"So like how people think the walls were closing in on them when it really wasn't, the Princess thought the King's Kingdom would be destroyed because of her when it really wouldn't be her fault."

"So you can catch up."

"This really is more complicated than Romeo and Juliet, but I'm doing my best to understand. But the King and the Princess are the Crimson Dragon's parents right, so the King must've know the the General was the Princess eventually."

"He did because of the way she danced."

"Danced?"

"Back when the King was still the Boy, he saw the Princess dance during his visit to the kingdom. She was truly beautiful, graceful, and unique. Absolutely no one could dance like her. When the King caught the General dancing, he knew." Chazz was imagining Jun dancing like an angel at a garden. He wasn't told that she was actually dancing a provocative strip tease at a Burlesque because he was too young. "Now that the King knew, the Princess revealed who she was, but then they couldn't be in love."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because the Princess discovered that before the King met her, the he made a vow to his best friend that he would love her the most. The Princess was a person big on promises, so she took back her love, and rejected his."

"Eeeeh?! But they could still love each other! The best friend would allow it, wouldn't she?!"

"Nope." Chazz said bluntly.

"No?! But why?! The King and the Princess were in love! The best friend must've known! Why would she keep them apart!"

"Politics and jealousy. The King was the king, but he was a terrible one. The best friend was the one who kept up his slack, and she was racist against the Princess."

"Racist?! The best friend is one of the people who believe light and darkness type monsters shouldn't be together?!"

"She was raised on that belief. She's a good person, but good people can be raised in thinking the wrong way. Like how back then a lot of people can do a lot of good things, but be entirely against two guys or girls marrying."

"It doesn't make sense! Nothing terrible will happen! Why can't they be together?!"

"That's life." Chazz answered it simply. "It's pointless to ask for commonsense."

Jaden groaned. He really didn't like this world. There was no sense in it! "Did the Princess and the King at least remained friends?"

"They did, and they made a baby."

"A baby?!" Jaden had no idea friends could make a baby together! It was ground breaking news to him.

"But the best friend ki-"

"CHAZZ!" Jaswinder yelled at him. LAD-Dragon roared softly at him. Showing his discomfort at telling Jaden the very bad part of the story.

Jaden was confused by the interruption. "What? What happened?! What did the best friend do?!"

Jun sat next to Chazz and told him that Jaden wasn't like her who was taught about death, so it was bet that she repeat after her. Chazz did, "Even though the Princess and King tried to remain friends, they couldn't contain their love for each other no matter what. The best friend knew this and became very jealous to the point that when the baby was born, she threw the baby into the sky."

"She threw the baby into the sky?!"

"The King and the Princess were unable to bring her down, and the Princess didn't want her baby to be alone, so she turned into a red light and became the baby's home where she was raised among friends created by the mother. The Light bad guy followed to protect them from worse bad guys. When the Princess was gone, the best friend used a spell that made everyone, including the King forget that the Princess and the baby ever existed."

"Oh come on! I don't like this best friend!" He grumbled into his pillow, which made the past incarnations mirthfully and apologetically smile. If only he knew.

"Don't worry. The King remembered when his daughter came back seven years later, and his memories were restored. The King was furious by what his best friend did, and confronted her for a reason for why she did it, but she didn't have a good one. The King didn't know what punishment to give that was fitted for the traitor, but also didn't come with consequences. His best friend took care of the kingdom, and was loved by his people. His people would not be happy if the best friend was to be treated like a criminal."

"But she threw a baby into the sky!"

"We're talking about a world that hates for no good reason."

"Oh...right...But the King and his daughter lived happily ever after right." Jaden asked hopefully.

Chazz wanted to say it did by how hopeful Jaden looked, but that would be a lie. "...I'm sorry. This was a bad story."

"No. No. I heard a lot of sad stories before, but they always teach us something. Please go on! I can take it!"

Chazz looked into Jaden's pleading eyes, and easily gave in.

"...Alright. But don't complain afterwards! What happened next was that because the King didn't know how to handle the situation, he thought that the best thing he could do was separate from his best friend since he knew that the worst thing he could ever do was break their bond, but what he didn't know what that his best friend was willing to put the two of them to sleep for all eternity because she believed that if she cannot have the King, then no one could. The daughter could do nothing when this happened, so she went back home as the kingdom crumbled without the two of them. That is the sad story behind the Crimson Dragon."

Everything went silent for awhile before Jaden said, "She's not alone though. She was loved by her parents so much that her mom turned herself into a loving home, and her dad was a good guy who didn't want to forget them. The Crimson Dragon must be very sad by what happened, but she's never abandoned, so she never feels lonely..." Jaden felt his eyes hurt and become slightly chilled when water built up and slid down his cheeks. He quickly wiped his tears away, and tried to stop, but he couldn't hold it in.

Chazz grabbed his phone and played a funny video for Jaden to watch. The boy started laughing, and feeling better. Chazz decided that it was best not to tell Jaden the entire truth. The boy had enough on his plate to be sad enough to cry.

"Thanks." Jaden spoke his appreciation. "I didn't mean to cry."

"That's alright. My uncle Joey would show me funny videos to cheer me up when I cry. He always told me that laughter is the best medicine for sadness!"

"Your uncle Joey sounds cool. I wish I had an uncle Joey." Jaden looked back up at the stars, and then suggested, "Do you want to dance?"

"Huh? Why do you want to dance?"

 _Song: All about us - He is We ft Owl City_

"C'mon! You love dancing, right!" The boy pulled Chazz up, and he did the mime he was taught, so he could wordlessly invite her to dance. The slightly confused ballerina first played ballet music before she took his outstretched hand to show her agreement, and the two began a very simple, but lovely pas de deux. Chazz did most of the work with Jaden trying to follow along and do his best to know when to hold her, catch her, or when to dip her down. There was a little struggle at the beginning, but the ballerina knew her danseur's limits, and the danseur was quick to catch on, so the two were able to build an order to follow.

The nanny came in to check on them, and she saw shadows of the two children dancing with the Summer triangle* as their background. She took a little video of them before posting it online as she left to smoke.

The children continued to move to the rhythm of music. This was the first time the two actually danced without Chazz acting as his teacher. It made the seven-year-old interboy feel weird to dance without a word said between them. It wasn't a bad kind of weird, but it was still weird. Chazz couldn't help blushing whenever Jaden held her to keep her steady, and make out his smile in the dim room.

She could tell that Jaden was seeking comfort and answers from their dance. An answer deep from the heart, and Chazz wasn't sure if she could provide that answer since she was so young. Her movements were professional yet insecure. She thought Jaden could tell because he stopped dancing ballet, and said, "Heh heh. Looks like I can be a male ballerina huh! But your feet must be hurting from being on your toes! We can just do this." He took her hands, and arranged them, so the two could slow dance.

It was very simple, yet this close simplicity made Chazz's heart race faster. This was the first time she ever did such a simple dance, and yet looking Jaden in the eyes were even more of a challenge than having thousands of eyes on her. She couldn't help lying her head on his shoulder with no noticeable discomfort by their height difference.

When the music ended, Jaden yawned. The ravenet didn't waste time getting off Jaden to get into her sleeping bag, and quickly told him good night. Her heart was still beating wildly as if a Winged Kuriboh could pop out any moment now!

"Thanks for dancing with me, Renee. I asked you to dance with me because I figured that the King and the Princess loved dancing together, and wherever they are, they must be really happy dancing together, and maybe even dueling! I feel that way with you."

Chazz threw a pillow at his face. His heart already about to explode and his eyes were shining so brightly silver that he felt that he lost somehow! His past incarnations were trying to hide their giggling, while Chazz covered his eyes as he shouted at how stupid Jaden was and that he should keep those thoughts to himself! Jaden also lightly laughed as he pulled the pillow down from his face. His eyes were glowing gold, but it faded away just as Chazz's eyes did.

"I really like you, Renee. This is the best Spring Break ever and it's only been the first week! I don't ever want you to go!"

Chazz made a weird face since he couldn't decide whether to smile or frown. Instead she got up and crossed her hands over her heart*. Jaden could make out what she did, and his eyes gleamed at the meaning. Chazz went back into his sleeping bag, and never said another word, but he heard Jaden whisper, "Yes!", and then got into his sleeping bag.

 _Beep...beep...beep..._

._._._.

 _Song: Tiptoe through the tulips - Tiny Tim (Don't listen to this song unless you like Tiny Tim, or you're up for being terrified the fuck out.)_

"We're only friends!" Chazz declared to Jaden the next early afternoon when they went out to walk over to the arcade that could be reached by bus. Crimson and Tea were with them while the nanny stayed at home. Chazz's past incarnations informed Crimson of what happened last night, and she told Tea. The two females couldn't help smirking and teasing Chazz a little by hinting of what happened last night.

"Best friends!" Jade declared as he went in to hold her hand.

Chazz felt his heart about to explode, and she took her hand away and ran to the bus stop. Jaden chased after her. Tea warned them to be careful. Chazz tried to run away from Jaden as they ran around the bench, and Jaden thought they were playing a game. Chazz kept calling him bad names, and telling him that he shouldn't act like he's in love, but he tells her that he does love her. Chazz told him that he's confused, but Jaden retorted that he wasn't.

Chazz asked Crimson and Tea that he was wrong, but they were no help as they made no objections to either of them.

The bus arrived, and Chazz didn't want to talk to him, but he bought about about duel monsters, and he couldn't deny help it. They talked about nothing else for the whole half hour that Tea couldn't help but feel like she was traveling with Yugi and Joey who would also talk about nothing except for duel monsters unless she or Tristan butt in.

They arrived, and the four of them went on their way to the arcade, but Jaden stopped in front of a flower shop because one of his friends lived there in the upper floors. Jaden wanted to invite her, so they went in.

"Levy! Want to go to the arcade!" Jaden asked the moment he went in.

"Oi! Don't just yell into the shop! You'll upset the customers!" Chazz unhelpfully yelled at him.

The flower shop was almost like many flowers shops where flowers were set outside for the natural sunlight and to attract customers. The windows let in a lot of sunlight with more flowers arranged to create a divine, multicolored scenery with a strong smell of natural sweet with a strong grassy scent. It was a bit warm, but nothing too upsetting.

The cashier was apparently Levy's mom. Jaden asked for Levy, and she called for the girl at the back.

Chazz thought nothing of this Levy and expected another hyperactive kid, but then a ten-year-old girl with blue violet bob hair came out with a bindi that was above the loveliest aquamarine eyes. Chazz's eyes formed heart shapes.

 _Beep...beep...beep..._

"You're beautiful." She couldn't help commenting.

Levy was surprised by the sudden compliment, and then saw Chazz. The grey-eyed girl decided to let her hair grow down and make bangs for herself to appear more feminine. Levy couldn't help thinking of how beautifully pale like starlight she was with silky, dark hair framing that adorable face hoping to emanate a maturity while her grey eyes twinkled with wonder in a world of realism. "You sure are."

Crimson's and Tea's eyes widened by this blatant flirt, and how their speck of light blushed by the requited compliment. Seven-year-olds surely moved fast these days.

"She is! Isn't she!" Jaden said proudly, and pointed at Chazz. "She's my girlfriend!"

The interboy went bright red. "I thought we were just best friends!"

"I only said that, so you wouldn't be upset. We said that we love each other yesterday, and I saw on tv that it means we're dating!"

"Friends can say they love each other, too!"

"But we meant a different love, right? I definitely meant what I meant! I love you, Renee!" Jaden was not ashamed at all, while Chazz was too speechless for words by the shameless confession of love.

Levy laughed, making the confessed child angry! "Hey! Why are laughing?!"

"Because it's the first time to see Jaden interested in anything other than dueling!"

That reminded Jaden! "Oh! Renee is a great duelist! She has an awesome dragon! Can you call him out, Renee?! Levy can see spirits just like me!"

"Hush!" Chazz shushed him and whispered loudly for only them to hear, "I already told you that you can't talk about spirits all willy-nilly in public like that! You have to put on a show to show that you're not crazy!" So Chazz had out her phone and announced, "Yeah! The spirits from a game we're playing!" He showed it to Levy while her dragon appeared.

Levy's eyes sparkled at such a magnificent beast! "Whooooa! He's awesome!"

Chazz smirked proudly. "He is! Isn't he! If you have a deck, then we can play another time, but we're heading to the arcade first."

"Heading to the arcade? I can head there, but my shift doesn't end until ten more minutes. My mom's very punctual."

"We can wait for you! Ten minutes is nothing!" Jaden declared. "Besides, I bet Renee wants to see the flowers you guys grow here!"

"Then I'll see you guys in ten. I have things to do in the back." The blue violet haired ten-year-old went back to the back, and her mother came out to return to the cash register.

The four of them went looked around the shop. Tea and Crimson went to one corner to talk/gossip. "Wow, I didn't expect Chazz to fall for someone else."

Crimson pathetically, softly laughed. "It's a part of their nature. It's really just infatuation for pretty people. My first mom (Jun) was infatuated with dad's queen, Asuka."

"Whoa, wait. Jun was infatuated with one of your dad's wives? Isn't that weird?"

"It's not a serious thing, so not really. I've watched my second mom (Jaswinder) and my third mom (Xiaoling) become infatuated with people that they thought it was love, but nothing really came to full fruition like it did between my mom and dad. And my dad isn't the jealous type, and my mom hates cheating, so they'll be fine together."

"That's good to hear." The short haired brunette picked up a book that belonged to the store. "And I have to say, this place has some really nice flowers, and their bouquets look so beautiful. I wish I'd gone here to pick out my flowers for my wedding. Not that they weren't beautiful. What about you, Crimson? Ever thought about marrying in your ten thousand years."

"It's actually only been five thousand for me since time wasn't the same in every dimension before my dad reunited it all. And in all that time, not at all. I'm not into that kind of stuff. Back then, I guessed that it was either because I'm not like that, or I just didn't find the right person. With how long I've lived, I guess the first option."

"Well your not really missing much. Just having a romantic partner means having a best friend, but with a rush of feelings that could be both a blessing and a curse."

"The closest I can associate with that is when I'm riding anything on wheels on the ground or flying in the air. Not in aircraft, though. You can just feel the wind or rain or snow pelting or whooshing against your skin, and feel the goosebumps all over you as go faster and faster, and your instincts and heart is going crazy because it's yelling 'DANGER DANGER', but you just keep going because you can't get enough of the rush! And when you do crash, your heart just stops, and your limbs go limp as you tumble on the ground and hope your spine doesn't break because it's game over!" Crimson couldn't help waving her body around as she described the absolute thrill of going fast and dangerous!

Tea giggled at her child-like enthusiasm. Then she noticed the title of the store. "Oh, it's written in Hindi. What does it say?"

Crimson translated, "Floral Jewels. Hm. Fitting."

While they were talking, the kids began comparing themselves to the flowers.

"You're definitely a yellow dandelion." Chazz claimed to Jaden. "It's all poofy like your hair, and bright like your personality."

Jaden grinned while scratching the back of his head. "Heh heh. Good pick! Let's look for yours, Renee!" The two looked at the other flowers for Jaden to find one that represented Chazz. The brown-eyed brunet saw one, and pointed at it. "That one!" He pointed at the lavenders. "They're your favorite color, they smell really good, look really tall, skinny, and cool like you!"

Chazz felt his cheeks become warm. He swore that he had to get used to being complimented by this idiot. "I guess it does fit me." He played it cool, but Jaden obviously saw through him.

"I'm done!'' Levy came out with a bouquet.

"Yay! What's that bouquet your holding for."

"I figured that I should give Jaden's girlfriend a gift since I feel sorry for everything she'll have to go through with a monkey like you."

"Hey! I'm not a monkey!" Jaden grumbled this while squatting a little while scratching his bum. The two friends laughed, and Levy handed over the bouquet to Chazz.

The pale child inspected it to see that it was a bouquet of viscaria flowers. "These are my favorite. How did you know?"

"Jaden actually texted me at three in the morning to prepare these for you, and wanted to surprise you." The ten-year-old who seemed very responsible for her age grinned at the younger boy who was grinning brightly at his new girlfriend who looked like hearts were shooting out of her. "He probably got the idea from how so many guys line up here to get flowers for Valentine's Day, so thought that you'd love them."

Chazz nodded his head down, completely silent. And then outright threw the bouquet into Jaden's face and yelled, "YOU IDIOT!" She dashed right out of the shop. Jaden quickly followed her while Levy was laughing so hard that her sides, and she couldn't stop until her mother scolded her.

"Oi, you two-" Tea called out to them, but Crimson reassured her that she has her eyes on them magically.

 _Song: Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? - Paolo Montalban and Brandy Norwood from the Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella_

Chazz found the arcade, and ran into it's girl restroom. Jaden knew he couldn't enter, so he patiently waited outside on a bench. Light and Darkness Dragon appeared by his side to reassure him that everything is alright. It's just that Chazz is not used to all of this right now, and is confused.

The young ravenet was currently being comforted by his past incarnations. Chazz couldn't help getting teary by all of his emotions. "He's moving too fast! I don't know what to do! We're fated to be together, but I'm scared."

"Love is scary, isn't it." Jun petted his head.

"Is this love?" asked the child.

Jaswinder answered, "Adults would say that this is mere puppy love, but that's only because they look down on children's mentality and emotions. It's natural since they are new to all these sorts of emotions, and love is a blend of all of them. But all children learn differently. Some feel what depression is without realizing it, and others have felt the feeling of great joy and happiness. Just because a child doesn't know the name of a feeling, doesn't mean they cannot experience it, so don't doubt your feelings, Chazz. If you believe it's love, then claim it as love. If you were wrong along the way, then that only means that you've achieved a greater sense of what love could be. Learn and let live! You don't have forever, unless you discover immortality like Crimson had."

"I don't think I want to live that long with the idiot." He grumbled unseriously.

Xiaoling purred. Her rumbling body on the boy's lap feeling comforting. "You're just overreacting because Jaden is handling this better than you do, and that's a thorn to your pride."

"No it's not! Okay, maybe it is! But why is he so calm! He should be stupid about this stuff! Putting the moves on me last night, and then giving me flowers today! I thought boyfriends like him are supposed to be ignorant or stupid, and I'm supposed to get mad at him to do something special to prove that he likes me!"

"You've been reading way too many romance manga." Jun commented. The past incarnations sporting pitying expressions.

"But it's true isn't it!"

"Don't you think you're looking down on Jaden a little too much." Jaswinder pointed out. "Yes, he is poor in academics if he can't associate it with dueling, and he does seem to have a one track mind to have fun, but Jaden has always been mindful of you. He never forces you to do anything you didn't like, and he never gets mad and always apologizes when you are upset."

Jun added, "He compliments you because he knows it makes you happy, and perhaps him not being as intelligent as you is a good thing because he can't make sweet nothings up. He only tells you what he knows about you on the surface, and even though he doesn't know that you're actually Chazz Princeton, what he says is true for both Renee and Chazz. You are the same person."

Jaswinder continued, "He only doesn't know about your real name, rich status, and the history you two shared in a past life, and none of that really matters. Your personality is all that matters, so don't feel guilty. When he knows the truth, he won't treat you any differently."

Chazz think he understood what they were trying to get through to him, but he still felt unsure. "But does Jaden understand what he's feeling? Is he trying to make me happy because he's in love with me, or is he saying he's in love with me because it makes me happy?"

"You're seven, darling." Xiaoling reminded her as she sat erect on his lap. "We're telling you it's okay to fall in love, and if Jaden doesn't truly understand even if you explain it, just wait until he can. Just as the brain develops differently between people, so does the heart, so be patient. Now, wipe those tears, and tell him the truth. Communication is key to a relationship."

"We're all rooting for you!" Jun told him, and the three went back into Chazz's core.

 _Song: Emotional - Mikaila_

Chazz stayed in the bathroom for a bit longer before exiting and finding Jaden having a conversation with his dragon. Jaden immediately noticed her, and he looked concerned. Chazz looked down feeling a bit guilty for her childish behavior. She decided to confess and apologize, "I'm sorry for throwing the bouquet you asked your friend arrange at your face. It's just that I'm really sensitive and new to really really liking someone that it feels like my heart will explode."

"Your heart will explode?!"

"I said it feels like it! Not that it will! Hearts can't explode unless you put a bomb in there! And don't interrupt me!"

"Ah! Sorry! Sorry! Please go on."

Chazz sighed as he found his bearing again. "I...imagined what kind of boy I would be dating for the first time, and you're nothing like him. But now that we're dating, I realized that what I only want that type of person because it would be easier to like them, but I never imagined really really liking them like this. Are we dating for real, Jaden. Or is this just us playing?"

Jaden bluntly answered, "We're dating for real. My class was made to watch a movie that people called a 'chick flick' and I slept through it, but then I heard the next day that it was about a guy who dated a girl because he was told to do it because his friends told him to, so the guy was just playing while the girl thought they were dating for real, and she was hurt because she really really liked the guy for real, but the guy's feelings were make believe. I don't want to hurt your feelings, so I'll be clearer! I want to date you for real because I really really like you, too! Will you be my girlfriend?!"

Chazz never thought this would happen in front of an arcade's bathroom, but he didn't care. The earnest expression the boy sported made the world fade away, and the two were in a soothing darkness where they could only see each other. "You have to tell me why you really really like me first!"

"Huh?! No fair! You have to do it, too!"

"Fine! Tell me!"

"Okay! It's because I'm really happy when I'm around you! I have a ton of friends, but none of them amounts to you!"

Chazz felt like she became the King of Games by hearing that! She wasn't going to lose. "Well, I really really like you because...uhm...because...I actually understand the difference between different types of love!"

"Different types of love?"

"Right! There's love meant for friends! Love meant for family! And love meant for this! I know the difference, so I obviously love you more than you love me! So I win!" Chazz declared as lightning seemed to shoot out behind him, but Jaden thought that that could've just been one of the arcade's special effects happening at the right time.

"Eh?! This is a competition?!" Jaden began to believe he really didn't know anything about really really liking someone.

"Of course it's a competition! Lo- I mean really really liking someone is a very serious game, and the obvious rules is to try to one up each other's love for one another! Don't tell me that you were going to slack off!"

Jaden felt swept in by Chazz's wave of determination. "Nope! I'm going to love you more than you love me, but it really makes me happy that you love me!"

Chazz's face went hot by the L-word. "I-Idiot! Who said love! It's really really like! Don't get full of yourself!"

"But you said 'one up each other's love'." The listening boy restated.

The ravenet realized his error, and quickly changed the kuriboh's focus, "There's an old dueling arena here right! I bet I can beat you in a duel!" He ran off to find it.

Jaden heard the challenge and forgot about the L-word business. "What?! No way! I'm going to get your game on!"

"Not if I Renee it to you!"

Tea, Crimson, and Levy were smothering their laughter at the cute moment.

Jaden and Chazz pretty much forgot about their early afternoon troubles as they got into playing the games and trying to one up each other with Levy who played with them, too.

Jaden's other friends were at the arcade, and the boy was pulled in to play with them while ignoring Chazz since she didn't look right for their group. Even at such a young age, cliques were an unavoidable natural bad habit in the human race. Chazz didn't mind since she had Levy who stayed by her side, and the two talked about duel monsters and general things about themselves.

It turned out that Levy only lived with her mom since her dad decided to bail on responsibility when she was six, but she was fine with that. She would be sad and angry from time to time, but she was getting by with friends and her very loving family from her mother side who don't give her special treatment because of it, but some of them were very rude, but she'd just sweep their existence under the rug when she can.

She was also open about her being a transfeminine gender-neutral. Chazz was pleasantly surprised, and was open about his intersex body and his bigender identity. The two couldn't meet that many kids who were like them who just didn't fit in being labeled a single gender. The two got along with talking about their personal experiences.

"So your dad forced you to be a boy?" Levy was horrified. Chazz had Crimson pretending to be her mother, so she only talked about her actual dad. She made sure Levy knew that he died, and that she had two older brothers.

"Yeah. My big brothers told me that if he was around now, he would've gotten rid of my uterus, so I won't be able to have babies. I guess I would've been fine with it if I was just a boy, but even though I was raised to be a boy, I never really felt like a boy all the time. And I want to have kids when I grow up." Chazz loved Crimson, and thought that he could also be a great parent. "My male parts are sterile, so I would've lost all my chances to have my own."

"That's terrible! I thought my dad was a terrible, but yours is the worse! At least mine didn't plan to do whatever he wanted to my body! No offense."

"I think both of our dads are terrible equally, so none taken. I was three when he died, and my brothers told me that our family is better off without him, so I'm safe." It sounded pretty heartless of Chazz to say about his father's death, but it was the truth.

The two continued chatting and then switched numbers, emails, and other media stuff to stay in contact. Jaden already had them, but the two were sticking with simply calls or video chats while doing online duels.

Jaden was worried that Chazz would start to hate him for ditching her like that, but then he saw that she was having a great time talking and playing with Levy. He still apologized afterwards as the three kids and two adults were heading to a restaurant for dinner. He asked them of what they were talking about earlier, and they said general stuff and about how they found common ground with their gender identities.

Jaden knew a little about that stuff because of the news going on about transgendered people. Levy and Chazz both decided to help Jaden have a better understanding by teaming up the next day to create their lesson plan together while Jaden played with LAD-Dragon and Crimson. The day after, they gave their very basic lessons, and Jaden discovered about Chazz's intersex body. He was very surprised to learn that Chazz had male parts and didn't have a choice in the matter, but was glad to hear that she was able to still have babies since Chazz sounded very happy and relieved that she could.

Jaden couldn't really grasp the whole lesson because there were so many identities with little additions to them to set them just right for a person. He wondered about his gender identity, and figured he was a boy, but if he turned into a girl, he wouldn't mind. He was cool with either gender since it had nothing to do with dueling. The boy could figure it out later in his life if the topic ever came up.

After the lesson, the three of them had a three-way duel. Levy's deck was unsurprisingly filled with plants with a few fiendish monsters.

The three of them then spent the last four days of Spring Break together doing whatever they wanted. Jaden and Chazz also willingly helped Levy around the flower shop, though Chazz didn't like doing dirty work since she was a spoiled child, so she just stayed at the cash register. Many of the customers were surprised that such a young, cute girl was there, but she knew how to operate the cash register and was very professional and inviting with her welcomes just like how her older brothers told her.

When it came to the last day, the three of them were camping at Jaden's backyard. They had a tent with a see-through roof ready, and prepared a campfire with Crimson and Tea's help. The pretended to play outdoor adventures with their crazy imaginations where the three were the three musketeers who had to save Light and Darkness dragon from the evil witch Crimson. The red head got way into the role that she may have accidentally used her powers once or twice, but Tea and Chazz said that they were just special effects from the machines Crimson hid around the yard. The five thousand year old young woman apologized to them afterwards.

After having so much fun, they sat around the campfire to roast their marshmallows for their smores. They talked about different things and got into telling horror stories. Jaden then had Chazz tell Levy about the King and the Princess who gave birth to the Legendary Crimson Dragon.

Levy was fascinated by the story, and was appalled by what the best friend did to the baby and the King. "It's scary how people do things out of jealousy. That's why I always feel fortunate for what I already have. So the red star in the sky is the Crimson Dragon?"

"Yup!" Jaden answered excitedly. "And I bet the King and the Princess is having a lot of fun dueling and dancing together like me and Renee!"

"Are you saying that you're only dating me, so you can believe that the King and the Princess is happy?" Chazz questioned her suspicion.

"Ah! No! I-"

"Pfft!" The ravenet snorted. "I'm just kidding!" She laughed at him while Levy snickered.

"That wasn't very funny." Jaden grumbled with a cute pout that earned him an apologetic kiss on the cheek. Jaden's pout went an entire 180 degrees and went wider. Chazz softly blushed. Levy gave Jaden a thumbs up, and he gave one back.

Then the blue violet haired ten-year-old asked, "So when are you planning to visit again, Renee? Are you going to be free for the Summer."

"I'll see if I do. My family are very important people, and I have to do my own role to uphold our name..." Chazz then braced himself for what he was about to do next. "Since this is our last day to be together like this, I have a confession. Renee isn't my real name."

Levy and Jaden were predictably speechless.

Chazz continued, "I lied because I'm actually a very important person, that if anyone knew if I was here, then there'd be reporters and other unwanted company here. I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Jaden accepted way too easily for Chazz. The boy explained, "It's just a name, and maybe you lied a little about other stuff, but you've always just been you this entire time. You do like the color purple, love dueling and dancing, and are a lot of other great stuff, and that's all I really care about. It's like how my friend who has a Polish name just makes us call him 'Steve', and he speaks only Polish at home and English with us. Everyone acts like a different person when it comes to someone, and to me, you are my Renee."

Chazz felt his heart skip a beat at 'my Renee'.

Levy waved a hand low to the side as she commented, "Smooooth."

"I-idiot. Stopping one upping me." The interboy grumbled, unable to make eye contact.

The next morning, Chazz had to leave early in the morning. Jaden gave a sleepy goodbye, and he expected a phone call when she gets back home. Chazz figured that would take approximately half a day, so he time it. They both gave each other a kiss on the cheek.

Levy also expected a call, and gave him a hug. She whispered in his ear, "You're actually Chazz Princeton, aren't you."

 _Beep...beep...beep..._

Chazz felt his goosebumps at being found out. She explained, "Unlike Jaden, I spend more than ten seconds on the news. What you said last night just ran it home for me, but don't worry. I won't tell Jaden. That's up to you if you want to."

"Hmmm." Chazz felt annoyed at being discovered, and then told her, "Nah. To him, I'm Renee, and I like just being that to him. But when he's old enough to see my brothers, I'll tell him."

Levy understood and the new best friends nodded to each other before Chazz left with Crimson and Tea.

Unknown to them, that they were being watched by a mysterious figure who was watching them from across the street inside the neighboring house. Its finger caressing the sharp side of a bloodied knife.

"Oh how curious! How curious! I am just so absolutely curious! I am a man of darkness. A darkness unlike this world that is so gentle. I am a man of wonder. Of wonder that I sought throughout the parallel worlds where I searched for thee Speck of Light. The Light of Destruction thought she could use me. Oh how she had prevented me from causing my own set of destruction in each and every parallel world in each and every one of their twelve dimensions, except for one. Just one slip I need, and I was a meteorite. Not a man. A meteorite in the ground that started as a cell, and slowly, oh how slowly I went through the stages of evolution. I say I am man since I stand on two legs with a torso attached to two arms and a neck that holds my head of many eyes. I have no mouth. I have no stomach. I just need to soak up the light, and I feel the pain. I cannot die. No I cannot die."

"Are you sure that child is the Speck of Light, master?" A very pale person question. He was covered in blood splatter like the others. "Is this the parallel world? Is this the one we've been searching for?"

"That's a very good question. Very good question." It crossed its arms behind its back, and said, "I do believe so. I do. But let's give it time. My little light is so young. I need her to mature a little before I take her and breed her. Then...oh then...I'll have a world of my own."

 _Song: In the Dark of the Night - Anastasia_

._._._.

Chazz did call Jaden and Levy when it was appropriate to do so after he got home, and then he happily told his brothers everything that happened while he was there. They were shocked to learn that Chazz was now dating, but haven't told his boyfriend his real identity. He was going to, but then after hearing Jaden call him his Renee, Chazz wanted to continue being just his Renee. No real reason. Just that it felt really nice.

Jagger and Slade got a more sensible story from Crimson and Tea since their little brother was acting like a high school girl in love, so a lot of unneeded details kept being thrown in. The females told them about how it happened, and how sweet Jaden really was.

The brothers were concerned about how this would effect Chazz's already busy life, but after over a month of this dating, Chazz showed to be good at handling his work and his personal time with his friends since he was trained to be good at multitasking. Seeing this, they believed that Chazz was responsible enough to date after all despite his young age, but then they knew that they couldn't fully agree since there was a third guardian who wanted to have a say to any big event happening in Chazz's life.

Seto Kaiba had tried to adopt Chazz, so he could gain legal responsibility over the interboy, but then the brothers were against this since they wanted Chazz to be raised away from the Kaiba name, or else people would expect their younger brother to become the second Seto Kaiba. They wanted Chazz Princeton to be raised outside of anyone's shadow. But they did give legal guardianship, so in case anything happened to them, Chazz would be given to Kaiba's and the others' care.

So they informed the CEO, and he was not predictably not happy with the news. The Princeton family, the Kaiba family with Noe and Joey were all present at a private part of a restaurant.

Without wasting time after ordering for their food, he told the child, "You're only seven, Chazz. You should be more focused on your future." The CEO reasoned, "It's best that you break up with this Jaden person, and wait until your twenty. By then, you'll be a successful duelist after being one of the top students at one of my many duel academies. Doesn't that sound more fitting to you two?" He addressed to Jagger and Slade.

Noe and Joey rolled their eyes while Mokuba was showing Chazz a new KC mobile app on his phone.

The politician replied, "Chazz knows how to balance his time between personal relationships and his responsibilities. He's proven capable of doing that with his classmates since he can be both a leader and a friend."

"I have no doubt about that. You two have been excellent parents for him, but this isn't an ordinary boy. You are aware of that, correct Chazz?" He looked to the boy who looked to him when his name was said.

He replied, "Jaden had currently shown no signs of being able to use or having awaken the gentle darkness inside him. It takes intense rage in order for it to be activated. By what I've seen of him during my stay at his home during Spring Break, it would take something absolutely sadistic in order for that level of rage to be formed."

"Can you say that with absolute confidence that that is true?" Seto challenged.

"He once tried to blow milk bubbles out of his nose." The child with manners deadpanned.

Joey snorted as he remembered when he tried to do the same thing at that age.

However, Seto remained serious. "Perhaps, he is the happy-go-lucky type who can become angry, but not to the point that it could be called rage. However, I urge you Chazz to be careful of who you choose to love. This world can be kind and cruel, and as I have been told about how 'fate' works through Jun, the universe may have set Jaden up to meet Yubel again. If that time comes, you have to cut all ties from Jaden. Surely, your brothers agree with me."

"We do." Slade answered.

Jagger added, "We were hoping that you would talk about this because it's best if you," He referred to Chazz, "understood how absolutely serious we all are about your safety."

Chazz knew who Yubel was, and he didn't want to ever meet her. "But what about Jaden-"

"He's none of our concern." Kaiba answered coldly that Chazz felt himself shiver. Noe shot him an intense glare that the deadly businessman ignored.

Joey, the one who played the good guy to Seto's jackass, placed a comforting hand on the interboy's shoulder and told him assuringly, "Maximillion Pegasus will obviously not allowed a card like Yubel to ever be made, but it might be made illegally. If Jaden happened to have it, then that card will be taken away since illegal cards like those are not allowed in the game."

"But what if Jaden loves Yubel like he did in the past life?"

Noe huffed indignantly at the idea. "After what she did? I mean I tried to get ride of you three," She referred to the Kaiba brothers and Joey, "But in my defense, I was stuck in a virtual world for half a decade, and I was manipulated by my own father. Yubel killed a pregnant woman, and destroyed an entire dimension out of jealousy. If your boyfriend had brains, then he'd give her up in a heart beat."

Mokuba said in a more friendly tone, "Bottom line, we're all saying that you can date Jaden, but if Yubel appears, please tell us. We'll extract it from him with care if we're not forced to do anything unnecessary, but Jaden won't get hurt. We promise you that."

Chazz still felt worried, but it was necessary for her and Jaden's safety, so she nodded.

Seto liked how Mokuba set it simply, but he wanted to change their minds about the two children dating, but Joey argued with him telepathically that he should let it go like he told him to, and let things play out. The two glared at each other so fiercely that the Princeton brothers and the straight couple just ignored them unless their was a sign that the two would go full dragon on each other.

Their glaring went on for over half an hour until they finally looked away, and Joey was the one left grinning. Chazz was glad that Mr. Kaiba would allow him to date thanks to Uncle Joey.

Chazz figured that he could talk now. "I understand why you're worried for me, Mr. Kaiba, but I don't want to break up with Jaden." His cheeks became pink as he bashfully said, "He makes me really happy even when we're apart. He's only clever when it comes to dueling, so his intentions are always innocent, and are in my best interests. Maybe it is dangerous to be together, but like how you and Uncle Joey always came together despite the challenges, I want to do the same with Jaden. But I know my priorities is in my future before him, so I'll show you that I will not let him distract me from my work!"

Seto stared at the child to see her determined eyes not falter. He eventually huffed. "It looks like I'm the only one here who is against this, and as stubborn as I am, I suppose I could overlook this once, but if I know for sure that you remaining in contact in Jaden puts your life at risk, even if you are weren't legally under my guardianship, I will take charge."

Slade and Jagger looked at each other and silently agreed that they both feel insulted that Seto didn't believe that they could handle the situation, but he was the one with dragon powers. They would, however, have Joey be on their side if the CEO and them weren't on the same side.

Chazz nodded to Mr. Kaiba's words, and she was pretty sure at the moment that there was nothing that could make her stop dating Jaden...Until the next year when she was on the phone with Levy who told her that some girl in Jaden's class was claiming to be his girlfriend.

"What do you mean she's calling him her boyfriend?! Didn't Jaden tell everyone that he has a girlfriend already?! Some of them even met me!" The ballerina was beyond furious! Spring Break was around the corner, which meant that Jaden and her were about to have their one-year-anniversary of dating!

The two have been staying in contact for at least five to four days a week when Chazz wasn't busy with attending classes, doing homework or attending events! She went through the trouble of visiting during the holidays for a duel or two, and even went through the trouble of begging to go to his place for his birthday! She poured all her feelings to him every time they were together, and he never once mentioned some girl trying to steal him away! The nerve of him!

Levy told her, "Calm down. Jaden doesn't know that I know, and he's probably planning on telling you eventually." There was the faint sound of a basketball being thrown around.

"Would he?! I understand that I didn't tell him my real name yet, but I'm saving that for next year! My brothers and Mr. Kaiba told me that I have to wait until then!"

"Two years of dating before meeting with the parents?" the neutrois snorted. "You have a hardcore family."

"I know, but it proves that they love me. But none of that! Who is she?!"

"I don't know her name, but from what I could get from school, it sounds like she fell for Jaden, and figured that because you're not around, she could wrap her little finger around him."

"And you didn't stop this!"

"I'm a middle schooler now." The eleven year old said. "We might be in the same building, but we're floors apart, and Jaden's parents are around so he's been busy spending time with them."

Chazz remembered the last detail, "Right. He messaged me about that last week, so we haven't been able to talk for awhile. When you look at it from that perspective, he couldn't really tell me since he also told me that he's playing for the baseball team just so his parents would see him play something to make them proud." Chazz knew Jaden was too pure to cheat on him. But he was still upset! "Then that means that the girl knew and that's why she struck now! That little fox! If it wasn't a school night, I'd go over there and kick her girl parts that were taken from me!"

"I'm pretty sure that Jaden wouldn't like it if you did that."

"But I'm so upset! I'm the girlfriend, and I'm supposed to uphold my title!" Thee girlfriend began to tear up because he was so frustrated! His past incarnations and dragon appeared to pet him. "I was warned about long-distance dating, but I didn't think it'd be this bad!"

"Hey. Hey. Don't worry. I'll tell Jaden of what's up, and he'll phone you right away when he can."

Chazz sniffed. "You'd do that for me?"

"Definitely! When you two get married, Jaden already promised that I'd be his best man!"

Chazz went bright red at the word 'married'. "We're not getting married!" He yelled out on impulse. "I mean we will, but let's not get ahead of ourselves! We're so young, and marriage is long, looooong days away! I need to work hard in becoming a professional duelist, so we won't be able to get married until our mid twenties and that's like forever!"

Levy burst out laughing at his reaction, and Chazz got made at her, but that only made her laugh more. When she was done laughing, the two talked about other things such as what's been going on between the two, about what's happening for LGBTQIA community, and then talking about random things like why do jellyfishes exist and what the world would be like if they had gills.

The conversation helped put his mind off the issue, but after a week of not getting anything from Jaden, he began to feel anxious. Levy told her that she told Jaden, and he was going to call her, but something must've came up. Levy haven't been able to see or contact him since she had her own life to concentrate on.

Chazz knew that this neglect was unavoidable since Jaden had his own life, too, but she began to feel abandoned as if their relationship didn't really matter, and it was all a game after all. Her past incarnations and dragon tried to cheer her up when she couldn't busy her mind, and she tried her best to be happy despite what she really felt. She knew that she could make this right if she just went to Jaden's place, so he could explain, but the fact that he couldn't spare a single moment just to text her about it made her feel hurt.

When it came to a weekend, she went to see her brothers to do something with them before they had to be busy again, but she stopped when she saw them act like a loving couple at Slade's office where Jagger shower the politician with compliments to boost his confidence when the media chose to take a hit at him. Slade would return it with loving words of gratitude and spoil Jagger by doing whatever he wanted.

Chazz frowned at the moment because he couldn't do that. He left them to their lovey-dovey moment out of jealousy. He went to the Kaiba mansion to go see Uncle Joey, and he found him at the kitchen, but he stopped when he saw that Mr. Kaiba was there, and Joey had prepared a bento for the man who was going to be his husband in a few months. Chazz would see the loving smile that Seto only had for Joey, and Chazz was sure that the bento was made full of love. He felt his heart falter at the sight, so he left them to their lovey-dovey moment.

He went to find Aunt Noe and Uncle Mokuba, but then he saw that the two were arguing and it sounded pretty serious, but he came at the right time when the two were calming down and were reaching a compromise and hugging it out. Chazz wanted to argue to. He was so angry and sad, but the person responsible was too busy to contact him.

It wasn't a coincidence that he saw them like this since they were always so loving to each other even when things weren't so great. Only now did it bother him because he was the only one in pain. He went back to his room and cried. His past incarnations, who could do nothing but stay at his side, let him cry it out since letting the tears go was healthy for his heart.

When he could shed no more, he fell asleep until a clear bell-like voice spoke in the middle of the night, "Feeling lonely." The Light caressed his reddened face to heal the thirst and pain away. The boy opened his whitened eyes to see her devious smirk. He knew that she used her powers to keep the past incarnations and the dragon from appearing. "Oh how young love can be the most innocent and fun, but the most damaging to a heart when hurt."

Chazz let her near him. The motorcycle incident was two years ago, and he knew better than to do whatever she said now. Though he was upset now that she was suppressing the others from appearing, but he supposed that it was so she could do most of the talking. The Light had been around, but only to sing him a lullaby so he could sleep. "What have you been doing?" He asked curiously.

She smoothly answered, "Setting a plan in motion." She had a tarot card flip through her fingers, and Chazz didn't bother asking. It was probably not good, anyway. "So my dear Chazz. Your problem is that your lover, Jaden hasn't bothered to contact you for over a week about this whole girl trying to steal him situation."

The neglected girlfriend felt a tinge in her confused heart. "I know he's busy, but I can't help feeling cast aside. I miss him." He felt himself tear up again.

"The price of love, isn't it, but the distance only makes the heart grow fonder." She spoke with such a soothing tone, that Chazz felt a bit hypnotized. "I noticed that you made a strong friendship with a little flower for nearly a year now. I supposed no one would know the truth except for the only one who's been done wrong." The Light stood up and used her powers to have her speck of light turn into a Shinto bride. His room changed into a shrine.

"What are you doing?"

"Just giving you something to think about. But then again in a Japanese wedding, there are no best men, so let's switch to a more Western one!" She snapped her fingers, and the room changed into an empty church decorated with ribbons and flowers. Chazz's dress was changed to a Westernized wedding gown. "There you go! Now Chazz, do you want to hear something absolutely hilarious! I was bored, so I figured I'd just give you a spoiler for what's to come!" She moved aside to reveal two adults who looked similar to Jaden and Levy at the end of the altar. The adult Jaden was dressed handsomely in a tux while Levy stood by his side as the best man in her own tux. They looked so happy that the naive Chazz thought the Light was just trying to cheer her up, but then he noticed that one of Levy's hands was behind her back and it shifted forward with a sword in its grasp. Jaden was oblivious to the sword raised in the air because his eyes were intently focused on him. Levy's right eye changed to orange and her back sprouted bat-like wings.

The Light's playful tone rang through Chazz's ears, "Here's the spoiler: When you put 'Levy' backwards, you get 'Yvel', and if you just add a 'u' and change 'v' to a 'b', then you'll get 'Yubel'. Isn't life just funny sometimes!"

"NO!" Chazz's chest glowed and had everything disappear before the fake Levy did anything. He was returned to his child body. "No! That's not true! You're trying to trick me again!"

"Then ask Jun. She'll definitely won't lie to you."

Jun appeared just then and ordered the Light to stop! Chazz pleaded to be told that the woman was wrong, but Jun didn't. Instead she answered, "Levy isn't the same Yubel."

Chazz tried to find the 'no' in those words, but it wasn't there. She didn't want her brain to process this information, but it hurt her like a pick hammered into an ice block. "...But she's Yubel..." Her pupils lowered to the ground. No coherent thoughts or images flashed through her mind. Just the wonderful happiness she felt whenever she thought of Levy, heard her, or communicated and saw her in anyway. If what he was told was true, then that meant the she couldn't see Levy anymore. Her family wouldn't let her. They let her see Jaden because he was a good person, but there was a chance that Levy wasn't.

She desperately begged to be right,"But it's not in her nature to be a killer, right? RIGHT?!"

Jun, who had been trained to remain stoic, sternly answered, "It's too soon to tell."

The feeling in Chazz's chest was crushed. "NO! LEVY'S NOT YUBEL! HOW COULD YOU TELL IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"Because as a speck of Light with the experience with our power, I can see the connection between people and duel monsters. Just like how you and the Light and Darkness Dragon are half of me, Levy is the half of Yubel."

"The good half right? Crimson saw her! She didn't see Yubel in Levy! She didn't!" Chazz asked with all the hope he mustered that he was correct!

But Jun answered sternly again, "Crimson didn't know Yubel that well, and it's been five thousand years since she saw her. Plenty of children have similar features to Yubel, that Crimson learned not to assume, but I know Levy's the one. But again, whether Levy is a good person or not, it's too soon to tell. Chazz, I was hoping that Levy is a good person, but you need to brace yourself if it turns out that she's your enemy."

"No..." Chazz squeaked pathetically. His body trembling from the truth. "NO!" He wanted to run, but he knew it was pointless. Jun was a part of him, and the Light was more powerful. Instead he just shriveled down to the floor wanting to get away from the world. "I love Levy." He sobbed. "I love her."

"I loved Yubel." Jun told him. Pain evident in her voice, but she stayed strong. "But you can't put your guard down because of it."

"No! No! No! Levy's my friend! She's my best friend! I tell her everything! We duel together! She's loving and kind! She wants to take over the flower shop when she grows up, and she loves me and Jaden! She'd never hurt us! It's not her nature! It's not!"

"Just because you said it, doesn't mean it's true. I wish it was, but it isn't." Jun spoke calmly, but a storm was going haywire within her. "We gave this universe free will, and people can turn bad by just one bad day. Chazz, you can be friends with Levy for now, but you need to protect herself if it is in her nature."

"NO!" A lightning struck down in his room and it blazed up.

Joey was immediately at the scene and blew the fire away. He saw the Light before she vanished with a pleasured smile. The half dragon clenched his fists tightly. He swore that if he knew a way to lock her up himself, he'd do it in a heart beat. For now, he held a wailing Chazz.

._._._.

 _Song: Break Me - Jewel_

Chazz couldn't tell his family what the Light told him. He refused to believe that Levy was a threat. He ignored his past incarnations' warnings. Light and Darkness Dragon remained on his side on this issue.

When Spring Break came a few days later. Chazz went straight to Levy. He had messaged her beforehand that he would be staying at her place after getting permission. Levy's mom liked Chazz, so it was good to go. His problem with Jaden had to wait, and the boy was busy anyway since he had to leave town to attend a family wedding. As much as it annoyed Chazz that he still couldn't see him, he needed to be with Levy right now.

Levy welcomed him with open arms and things to do. The two got along great as if they weren't an ocean away. The eleven-year-old's jungle-themed room was filled with gardening and comic books, and she had posters of different boy and girl bands since the mix of voices always sounded pleasing to her. Her desk was at a corner where she did her websurfing and school work. She also had science fair trophies, pictures of her family, and decent amount of toys and clothes around.

The two spent a lot of time talking about so many things in that room, that some of whatever they did talk about was pointless, and wasn't worth remembering, but they felt like they were connected and knew that they were having fun together. There was absolutely no way that Levy was Yubel, and Jun wanted to believe that, too, but she saw the recognizable wings on Levy's back, and the orange color on her right eye. A part of Jun wanted to grab her by the throat and thrust her sword into her heart, but she withheld the faint urge.

"Bwahahahaha!" Chazz laughed while Levy snickered on her bed. "No way! I won't believe that you actually pulled that prank where you put super glue into your cousin's pants and gave him a wedgie!"

"I warned him that I would do something if he ate my cake." The girl said coolly. "And what about you! You pranked your teacher!"

"No one caught me so it didn't happened! And hey! That woman was practically asking for it after threatening to taking dueling away! She deserved what I did to her chair."

"But that's absolutely evil!"

"I know! Muhahahahaha!" Chazz laughed maniacally making Levy unable to smother her laughter, and she was snorting like a pig which only made Chazz laugh harder.

The two then settled down with their heads hanging down at the edge of the bed.

"We are terrible people." Levy said.

"Terribly clever people." The ballerina corrected.

The two fell silent with content smiles. Their chest hurt from their laughter, but it was a good kind of sharp pain that eased to relief.

Chazz was definitely sure that Levy wasn't Yubel, but...just to make sure..."Levy..."

"Hm?"

"How do you feel about me and Jaden?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just that we've been friends for a whole year after this week, so it's kind of our own friendship anniversary. Jaden and our dating relationship is on the same day, but he doesn't matter right now." Chazz said without a care in the world, but Levy knew that she missed her boyfriend dearly.

The neutrois then answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I like you guys. I've known Jaden since he was six when he came into my flower shop with his nanny, and he's nice, but a little too trusting. Makes me want to look out for him when I can."

That was true. Levy acted kind of like an older sister for Jaden. He just had to say, "You're really nice and responsible. Always taking care of people and animals." Chazz looked to the aquarium filled with different fishes, and there was a schedule with food nearby. Her eyes went over to the trophies and pictures. "You're also really smart and strong. You do gymnastics and muay thai, right?"

Levy was lightly blushing by the compliments with a warm smile on her face. "I do, but I'm still learning. I bet if you were in gymnastics, you'd get it down like a natural since you're already flexible and skillful with your techniques. And by what you said earlier, I could say the same things about you that you said about me, but instead of animals, you're more kind to duel monsters. They're really attracted to you like moths to a flame, and it's not hard to see why."

Chazz felt a warmth in her chest. "Do you like me, Levy?"

"You're my best friend." The the aquamarine-eyed girl yelled out like Jaden would've, "I love you!"

The ravenet couldn't help blushing because it felt like Jaden yelled that. She lightly kicked the older girl, and rolled away with the blanket to become a caterpillar on the floor and try to worm her way to the door. "Must...go...find...axe...to...rid...of...you!"

"Bwuahahahahaha!" Levy burst out laughing, and then got up, and used the muscles she had to put the skinny-as-a-stick-Chazz on her shoulder, and the two ran out of the room and to the kitchen to eat. Chazz had Levy feed her since she was still had the blanket wrapped around her tightly.

Levy's mother came in and saw the girls acting ridiculous, and she just shook her head before walking away. The girls snickered, and continued their fun.

A few days later, the two were at the beach, and were splashing around, making sand castles, sand angels, and eating a ton of watermelon because they were having a spitting seed distance contest. Then someone at the beach began playing music, and Chazz wasn't ashamed to dance to the music, and had Levy dance with her. Levy was a terrible dancer, but after Chazz did some weird moves to make her laugh, she felt a bit more confident to start dancing, too.

Then, the two began climbing the big rocks that were at the beach, so they could watch the sun set, but they couldn't watch it to the end since they had to go back to the car before dark.

When Levy's mother called for them, Levy got down first. Chazz paused from getting down when the girl looked up at him. The orange glow from the sun made her right eyes look like a fire opal. Chazz felt inwardly appalled by the sight, but then he realized that he shouldn't think that way.

Even if Levy looked like Yubel, she wasn't Yubel.

She was his/her Levy.

"Levy, I trust you!" He cried out! Levy was confused by the sudden confession, but she was pretty used to these bursts of announcements, declarations and confessions. Chazz turned around, closed his eyes, spread his arms, and without hesitation he fell off the rock.

Levy's eyes went wide open at the reckless move, and for a second she was distracted by the sight of what looked like Light and Darkness Dragon's wings on his back. It's like he could fly if he wanted to, but Chazz was putting his faith in her, and she felt compelled to reach out her arms for a greater reason than common sense. A part of her whispered malevolently to not, but she ignored it, and caught Chazz like a princess fell from the sky.

The interboy opened his eyes and grinned at her. "I knew you would catch me!"

Levy felt like there was something more to his words, but she figured that she was probably imagining it. She just scolded the younger kid for his reckless act, but Chazz was unapologetic because what he did seemed to be a good thing. And for Levy, it felt like it was.

 _Song: Forbidden Friendship - John Powell from the How to Train Your Dragon_

 _Beep...beep...beep..._

._._._.

"I'M SOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Jaden stopped to gasp for air.

Levy stopped her stop watch. "Only forty-five seconds." She looked to Chazz who was glaring down at the boy who was down on his hands and knees, and bowing his head low for forgiven. They were currently at Levy's place, and Jaden had finally been able to visit, and didn't think that Chazz would be there, so he was unprepared for her fury!

"Again!" She ordered since she demanded that Jaden said it for as long as a minute! Jaden did and held it much longer for a minute.

"Do you forgive me?!" He silently pleaded that he was!

But Chazz wasn't merciful! "Fool! That was only one of your many tasks to earn my forgiveness. Do you have any idea of how I felt for being ignored for two solid weeks! HA!"

"I'm sorry! I was going to, but then I broke my phone while my parents were visiting, and they couldn't buy me a new one until later! Plus, they wanted to do a ton of stuff with me, and my dad said it's totally fi-"

"I didn't ask to hear your excuses!" Chazz's glare made Jaden want to shrink away. He's seen Chazz get angry, but not like this. It was scarier than any scary movies he watched! "I am your girlfriend, and I would've been completely fine with you not contacting me if I wasn't told about some girl trying to steal you away from me!"

"But she di-"

"It doesn't matter if she did or did not! You're supposed to reassure me! That's what boyfriends are supposed to do! You have no idea how I felt. It was like I was a wife who had to travel for work while leaving my husband at home who I thought would remain faithful to me. Only to hear from one of his friends that some girl has been flirting with him at his work! And that husband knew that she knew, and neglected to call her about it as if he couldn't deny that some affair was happening! And I had to seek the comfort from his friends!"

"Huh?! Comfort?! Wait, are you and Levy dating now?!" Jaden saw this kind of drama on television with his nanny. He understood what was going on at the moment it happened, but the story as a whole was completely confusing to him. He looked to Levy who had a blank face to the situation, but she was really amused inside. "I thought you weren't into dating since you were...green? Blue?"

"It's grey romantic." Levy helped him out. She told him that she was before, but didn't bother to really explain the whole romantic identity subject like she did with gender identities since Chazz wasn't around at the time to help prepare a well thought out lesson. "And don't worry. We're not dating."

"But I don't know if our relationship will continue after this!" Chazz threatened to cut it off! "I know you wouldn't betray me, but you have no idea how hurt I was to feel neglected! You knew you were supposed to call me, but you didn't! IDIOT!" She threw a pillow at his face, and then ran out of the room to head to the living room to cry since the kids weren't allowed to run out of the house.

Jaden didn't know what to do since Chazz was never this upset at his place, and he felt guilty. Levy helped him by making him go to the living room, and to just continue apologizing, and let her be as angry as much as she wanted.

"Will that make her feel better?" He asked hopefully. He was scared, but he hated seeing his Renee cry more than him getting screamed at.

"It will. Even when she tells you to leave, just stay by her side. She needs to know that you still want to be with her."

"But what if she really wants me to leave?"

"I guess if she ask you to do it five times, then first give her a hug, and if she doesn't hug you back, then you should leave." Levy wasn't an expert in relationships, but she's seen her parents and other couples fight before. She was used to the heavy, painful atmosphere, and found this lighter version welcoming. Jaden and Chazz may be only eight, but Chazz was taught on how to love, loving came naturally for Jaden, and Levy wanted to believe that this was love.

 _Song: That's love - Sweet Salt_

"Okay. Five times, and then I leave if she doesn't hug me back." Jaden looked scared but determined. He went to the living room, paused midway, gulped, and then sat down next to Chazz who continued to cry.

Levy watched as Jaden looked at her, and held her fist laid on the seat. Chazz didn't move it. Jaden apologized sincerely for ignoring her and promised to be a better boyfriend. Chazz nodded. She understood that Jaden didn't know he was in the wrong since he was new to this sort of stuff, and just wanted him to learn his mistakes so he didn't hurt her like this again. Jaden was glad that he wasn't asked to leave, and promised to do his best. He made sure to make a note of it in his phone to write in a book of all the things he should and shouldn't do while dating Chazz.

That way he could study it every now and then since his head was already chock full of dueling, and if he screwed up again, it'd come in handy to know what he did wrong. He did the same thing for every time he got in trouble at school.

Chazz found his actions sweet, and since he was putting in the effort, she forgave him with a kiss to his cheek. He kissed her right back, and hugged her and told her about how much he missed her, too, and had so much to tell her and Levy that he felt like was about to explode! Chazz scolded him for his hyperactive attitude after they just made up.

Levy joined in, and told him out of the blue about how she caught his Renee when she jumped off a high boulder without warning to see if she would catch her. Jaden gasped in amazement by the thrilling risk! Chazz was ashamed of it, though, because she got a big scolding from Jaswinder. She was thankful that Levy was strong since if Levy was an ordinary eleven year old, she would've been hurt, too.

The three of them shared stories, and when they had no more, they dueled. Levy's mom checked on them every now and then, and she smiled warmly at the sight of Levy having a lot of fun with friends since the girl was withdrawn from those at school. The abandonment by her father was not easy on her at all, but after meeting Jaden whose smile contagious, she opened a little bit, and when Chazz came, she opened up a little more, and now that all three wee together, her daughter was blooming.

"Renee said that if I was a flower, I would be a yellow dandelion because I'm all bright and my hair is poofy! I didn't think about it back then, but now, it sounds pretty lame. I'm more of a sunflower! Tall and full of delicious seeds!"

"That sounds nothing like you!" Chazz yelled at him.

"But I want to be full off delicious seeds."

"This is about what flower is similar to you! Not what flower you want to be if you were! That's completely different."

"It is? Then I guess I am like a yellow dandelion on the outside, but I really want to be a sunflower! And your like the lilac flower on the outside, but what do you really want to be?"

"It was lavenders." Chazz corrected him, "And if I could be any kind of flower, then I'd be a belladonna flower."

"Oooh, good one." Levy said.

"It is?" Jaden asked.

The flower expert explained, "Belladonna flowers were used as a deadly poison during Roman times, but if used correctly, they could be used as medicine. It's like a flower with two light and a dark side."

"OOOOh! Like light and darkness dragon! That's cool! As expected from Renee!"

Chazz gave a haughty, "Heh."

"Then what about Levy! What kind of flower are you similar to, and what kind of flower would you want to be?" Jaden asked, but Chazz first answered, "If it's a flower she's similar to, then you'd be a hyacinth. I saw the bluish purple ones in your shop, and it reminds me of your hair and eyes. They're really beautiful." She complimented the other girl with a blushing smile. Levy couldn't help blushing, too, with a smile.

Jaden looked at them suspiciously. "Are you sure that you two aren't dating?"

Chazz smacked him on the head. "No you, idiot! And don't ever question my loyalty! Put that in your book, stupid! I can't believe the nerve of you!" She growled at him, and Jaden apologized.

Levy laughed and softly snorted like a pig, and reassured Jaden, "Don't worry, Jaden. We're just friends."

"I'm not worried, but if Renee wants to date you..." Jaden was about to say that it was okay, but then when he looked at Renee, his chest didn't feel good about it. "Never mind."

Levy snorted at the quick change of mind, and Chazz looked at Jaden shocked. He just denied giving Chazz away because he actually thought about it. The interboy hid his embarrassed face, and Levy burst out laughing at his reaction. Jaden was confused.

When Levy stopped, she continued their previous conversation, "I like being a hyacinth. They're beautiful, but if I had to be any flower of my choosing, then I'd just stick with the classic, and be a yellow rose since they're the most eye catching of all the roses."

"You'll also have yellow petals like me! Go yellow!" The two high-fived to that while Chazz felt a bit calmer after the unintentional loving act.

._._._.

Spring Break was over, and Jaden and Chazz were still together. Chazz believed that Levy was a good person no matter what Jun told him. They stayed in contact and remained best friends. Jaden's book was filled with many Do not's, and Chazz would check them and do corrections or put additions. It was silly to have a book, but then there were good reminders in there. Secretly, Chazz got his own and put down four sentences:

1\. Remember that Jaden also has feelings, so be considerate and respectful of them. Example: Don't call him "stupid" or "idiot" unless he deserved it, but if he does too many things to deserve it, try to not say it too many times.

2\. Try to be honest about my feelings and thoughts, especially when I feel really happy. It'll make him happy, too. If I become jealous, I should be honest, too, even if i feel ashamed because true...people in a very good relationship where they really really like each other won't make the other person feel bad about it or take advantage of it. Jaden is the type who won't, and he better not be that type when we grow up. I put that in his book, so he better know that!

3\. I was told that the biggest thing to know about a relationship from the people I love is to never assume that you truly know what your significant other is thinking. I could be right most of the time, but the key word is 'most'. 'Always' is impossible unless I'm psychic, but that could also be misdirecting because people can feel a certain way at the heat of the moment and let their thoughts run wild. It's best to talk things through to make sense of them. NEVER EVER ASSUME!

4\. If Jaden ever lost his way, never abandon him.

Chazz held these rules close to his heart, and promised to follow them diligently.

Over half a year of fun, laughs, and love passed through the months. Seto opened his heart more and more to Chazz, that when they attended the nearly monthly parties of the past incarnations, the CEO was teased for having fallen in line with his destiny to love Chazz. His husband, Joey, was too busy playing games with the ballerina to help him. Mokuba wanted to, but he was busy helping Chazz know the controls while Noe was among the people who was teasing him.

Chazz's past incarnations, LAD-Dragon, everyone, and even the Light were having fun. The child was completely oblivious to the rising problem that the adults were facing. Chazz didn't question why Kane*, the godfather of Domino City, was present, but he liked the scary man. He was really nice and held an air of importance like the many powerful people in the room. His daughter and successor, Teagan, was also very nice, though held a skeptical tone that she was working on.

Unknown to the child, people have been going missing. The amount was ranging among the thousands, and the frightening part was that all of them saw duel spirits. They had their suspicions that the Light, Harsh Darkness, or both of them could be behind this. The Light denied it since she never took people when she could just take their minds, and she was currently controlling no one who would do this. No reason to lie and disliking that she had no clue of who was truly behind this, she did her own research, but somehow every time she swore that she got an accomplice, they evaded from her reaches. An act that never happened before! She was practically a God, and they could slip away from her clutches.

They hoped to handle this, but things became difficult to hide when Levy went missing, even though she was put under surveillance, and not a clue was left of who took her. Chazz became worried, and talked to Jaden about it over the phone. He was worried, too, but had faith that the card that he lent to her would protect her. Chazz asked which card, and Jaden answered that it was a card that his dad just gave him recently, and it held the duel spirit named, "Yubel."

Chazz hung the phone, and her heart dropped. She told the adults, and they promised to continue searching for her.

While everyone was running about, the Harsh Darkness constantly sang 'London Bridge is Falling Down', and had the children he kidnapped play the game, and when one was caught, they would be sent to make a very difficult decision as they had a duel disk be attached to their arms.

The Harsh Darkness found out what pride felt like by how many people he kidnapped. Many of them were too easy while others had been a bit difficult since they were on twenty-four-seven surveillance like its dear Speck of Light was, but the entity discovered a way and perfected it throughout the several parallel universes and dimensions that it so patiently traveled for what must've been more than a billion years. It was okay. It only taught him, and knowledge was such a funny thing.

It just took a second to change everything. It only took a single chance, a single turn to bend things to its will.

"Chazz, oh sweet Chazz, please dance for me." He pleaded with a tone that flowed so smoothly with the wind that it gave a false sense of security even when the actual event was horrifying. "I'm just a man needing your love. Needing your light to create a world of my own. That's all I ask. Isn't it unfair that you can give all your riches to one side of the darkness but not the other. He is no better than me. If the Light had given you to me, I would've held you in my world and loved you. I would've been your universe, and someone like Yubel would have never existed. Because I know my love belongs to you, and only you. Paint me as you may, and I'll love you in the purest way possible. So please dance for me."

It lunged its hand into a child's chest and pulled out their heart. The heart was dropped to the floor just as the child did.

Chazz was a very difficult challenge to capture since he was not only watched by the strongest duelists, warriors, and the Light itself, but Crimson, who was practically immune to the pause and shift of time, was the one who could ruin his chance. The Harsh Darkness just had to wait and wait until the right moment presented itself. There was always an opening, even if it last for a second, a second was all it needed.

The very exact second when everyone's attention was turned away and distracted with their guards were lowered, it reached out and took him.

So many things happened to Chazz that it all seemed like a blur, but when everything seemed to finally slow down to a pause, he found himself held in to arms of Mr. Kaiba and he was crying as what looked like burnt cards were falling from the sky.

"No! No! Chazz stay with me! Stay with me, dammit!"

It was such a strange and unpleasant sight that he didn't understand.

He closed his eyes, and didn't hear a thing until there was the sound of beeping and various voices.

"Beep...Beep...Beep..."

He finally felt his eyes lift and the first people he saw were his brothers staring at him with tired expressions that went wide awake when they saw the color of his eyes aimed at them.

"Chazz!"

They burst into tears as they went on about how relieved and glad they were that he was alive.

The interboy didn't quite understand what was happening, but he managed to speak with his dry throat, ignoring the sharp pain for speaking, "Where's Light and Darkness Dragon?"

His brothers paused, and silence descended on the room.

 _Song: If I could fly - One Direction_

._._._.

A/N: Gets on my knees and get shot by a BB gun from behind.

It does seem kind of out of character for little Jaden to easily want to be in a relationship with little Chazz, though Jaden didn't seem at all against going on a date with Alexis when Syrus said it was in that one episode in season 2 against the gamer with that weird mafia accent. I guess he doesn't mind dating someone since it's no different from being friends, except that they have to be a priority to each other, but Jaden doesn't like the idea of romance since it requires a lot of deep thinking and confusing hard work. In a way, dating and romance don't always go hand in hand.

*They were an actual interracial married couple forced to be divorced by racism and social status.

*The Summer triangle consists of three very bright stars: Altair, Vega, and Deneb. In Chinese Folklore, Altair and Vega are star-crossed lovers fated to only see each other once a year unless it doesn't rain.

*It's the ballet mime for "Love"

*Kane Perasma is an OC from Kiss the Cross dresser. He is the Godfather of Domino City, and owns an illegal shipping business. He is also a direct descendant of the Egyptian pharaohs, which makes him the many times great grandson of Jun/Wadjet, Set and Jona, and the great grandnephew of Atem.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N:

So I looked up the name meaning of Chazz and the other girls:

Jun (Japanese) = Pure, Chaste

Jaswinder (Hindi) = Indra of the Thunderbolt

Xiaoling (Chinese) = Morning Tinkle

Chazz (English) = Man (It's ironically fitting)

WARNING: For the delicate of heart, you will see little broken Chazz. For some it will be heart breaking. For others, it will be tamed. Either way, this is my version of Chazz dealing with trauma and going through depression.

._._._.

Their feet used to stand on a palette with a dab of color beneath them. Like the brushes held by an artist, they danced across the board and made a mess of the surface in order to create new colors in different hues. All of it used to create something beautiful, ugly, horrifying, light-hearted, romantic, heart-breaking, or whatever could be found in the emotional spectrum.

But then, three of the four dancers were dragged off the board and crushed savagely until they could no longer be repaired or have a single chunk of them left to be kept as a memento. A dragon that was kept at the last dancer's side was placed into a bird cage with its feet strapped to the swing. The last dancer's feet were also strapped to the bottom of that same swing. The last dancer saw the world upside down.

Nothing was like it's supposed to be, but it was conceited to believe it was supposed to go his way.

He believed that this was his punishment for existing, and thus was plagued by a being that demanded his love.

"...lo...e...ve..m...love...me...Love...Me...LOve...Me...LOVe...ME...LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! 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LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! LOVE ME!"

 _ **"LOVE ME."**_

The last dancer could not and would not love this being, so shut his heart away in a treasure chest. The chest was beaten savagely to no end at sight that the lock that kept the chest closed was bent, but remained unbroken. He protected his heart until the beating miraculously stopped, but he did not protect his dragon above him, and thus, the magnificent beast turned into glass that shattered and rained on him.

That last dancer, whose heart was sealed away, was left to see the world upside down filled with the shards of his dragon's remains.

._._._.

 _Song: One - Metallica_

"None of them had said a word since they came back." Serenity told Ishizu who came to Domino City after Mokuba called her. He didn't knew who to go to, and was desperate for anyone to help, but so few people could truly understand the world of Duel Monsters, and Ishizu was the most logical choice to go to at the moment.

"It's been over a month." Mokuba added. "Joey and Seto don't talk at all, but they understand what they went through, and can help each other without a word. I can't help Noe. Joey's helping her, too, and I know this is selfish for me to say, but I'm frustrated. I want to understand. I want to help. But I can't do anything, but make sure Kaiba Corporation stands until they come back to us."

"Yugi's trying to come back to me." Tea said tiredly. Bags were under her eyes, and she could not shed another tear at the moment. "But he's so far away. We've been through so many adventures together, but this one...this one was too much. I couldn't be there. Forget shadow realm, your brother trying to rule the world, or anyone we've faced before. The villain in this story...He took...It took way too much."

"It was the battle for the light who made all of this possible." Duke, who was not someone dealing with a broken loved one, was present to give his support with Tristan since they were friends of two of those loved ones. "Fighting for someone who could be used as a massive weapon of destruction that could even destroy a theory such as the 'multiverse', it's to be expected."

"But they won the war, so they'll fight through this. Joey's not talking, but he looks like he's pulling through with all he got without breaking himself." Tristan said without a shred of doubt. "Right, Ishizu?"

The former fortune teller nodded. She had seen Seto, Joey, Noe, and Yugi, and they only gave her a look of familiarity before going back to their thoughts. She understood why she was called, so did her best to remedy the situation, even for a little bit.

"I understand what you are going through when the people you love has gone to a place that you can't reach. It brings about emotions of frustration from confusion and feeling helpless, but you are not helpless. The wounds of the mind and heart can heal with your continuous support. I am confident in that. Remain strong, and they will come back to you because your love is the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't know when to be exact, but they will. However, if things do become too difficult to handle, we have each other to depend on for support. I'll make sure of that."

Serenity, Tea, and Mokuba were glad to hear that. They needed to be somewhere where they did not feel detached from those who cared. As they planned to meet again, the four people who have been quiet were sitting at random places in the Kaiba mansion. They haven't done anything productive, except thinking and feeling out their feelings while doing what their body needed such as eating and sleeping.

There was so much to process after everything they went through because there wasn't a long enough moments of rest during that event to do so. It was like living within a painting, and none of it made sense until they took a step away from it, and looked at the portrait that they were painted in. They were taking in every little detail within the bigger picture, and some of it were too hard to accept or understand.

Why?

Why did some of the horrific things they went through had to happen? Why all the suffering and trials? Why did it had to end the way it did after EVERYTHING they went through to get there?

Yugi would break down and cry every time he remembered too vividly an event that was too raw for his heart. Joey and Tristan would help him stand up with Tea who provided support the best she could. She was also in tears every time Yugi was in pain, but she remained strong for him. To let him know that he was loved even if he made things difficult in their relationship. Nothing was more important than that, and she always did her best to let Yugi know that.

Mokuba tried to make time to see Noe and Seto, and he felt his heart being eaten alive when he got too busy, even with all the help he was getting. However, Joey would come to the office and bring him food for breakfast and pat him as a means for comfort. Noe would then bring it for lunch and gave him a kiss and a pat as a means for comfort but not speak a word. Her eyes were distant, but there was a single speck of light inside them that Mokuba read as her still making her way to him, but she needed to get through the obstacles. Seto would bring him his dinner when he worked late, and would place a capsule monster on his desk. So far they have only been level one as if telling him that he hadn't leveled up from dealing with his trauma yet, but he's trying.

When Serenity would go to see her brother, he wouldn't say a word, but he would sit next to her, and she would talk to him about anything. She never said anything truly important. She just wanted Joey to hear her cheerful voice to let him know that she was happy because she knew Joey could ask for nothing more from her than that. Sometimes he would smile, but his eyes were still distant with a speck of light in them.

Duke and others also came to help them anyway they could.

A few more months passed on like this, and it was truly difficult. At times, they felt frustrated, tedious, confused, and just absolutely exhausted with dealing with these four, but they still loved them. They would go to the meetings that Ishizu would schedule for them since they were too busy with their own lives to try to plan it themselves, and they did feel like they came to a sanctuary where they could take off the load on their backs before they went back to take on the stress again.

Then everything changed when the Princetons called Mokuba to tell him that Chazz woke up. They spoke when they went to the hospital in front of the child's room.

Seto was the first one, "How is he?" His voice sounded soft instead of stern from having not been used for too long.

Slade tiredly responded, "He's sleeping right now. He asked about Light and Darkness Dragon, and we couldn't tell him." The brothers had been watching over Chazz. Mostly Slade who decided not to join the next election, so that he could spend more time with his little brother. Jagger kept doing his job since his duties were too important to let go, and they didn't want to disappoint Chazz if he discovered that they put their career on hold for him.

"I'll do it." Seto declared. "I failed to save Light and Darkness Dragon. I should be the one to tell him."

Noe flinched, gasped and then yelled with her soft, strained voice, "Don't be greedy! It's not only your fault! We were there, too! The four of us and everyone else! Because of us, not only Light and Darkness Dragon but Levy is-"

"Don't say that name!" Seto roared. His body on the verge to morph into a dragon.

Joey spoke with a stern tone with his soft voice, "You don't want to hear her name, not because you see her as an enemy, but because you feel ashamed that you knew that there were several things you could've done for her during the war, but you couldn't choose what was the right thing to do. She did put her life at risk to protect Chazz. She's broken just like the rest of us, but nobody blames themselves more than she does, and she's only eleven. You're not the only one who feels responsible for the suffering she went through and is going through. But she's being taken care of, and we need to be there for Chazz. It's about time that we told everyone what happened. Can you do that, Yug'?" He looked to his best friend.

The King of Games flinched. He was hesitant, but then he knew that it was about time that they finally spoke. He clenched his fists and nodded. "Ye...Yes."

Joey nodded, and he started the story.

 _Song: Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars_

Everyone already knew that the story started with Chazz being kidnapped right out of their hands, and the Light went berserk because she had been keeping a close eye on him, and yet he was still kidnapped!

Unable to take it anymore, the great entity used her powers to break the borders of the twelve dimension and the parallel universes with the help of herself from those other parallel universes to find a trace of his light. Everything was being thrown into chaos. When the Light found Chazz through him sending a signal for help, she dragged Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, Noe and their past incarnations with their armies and Shu to come with her. Crimson used her powers with the parallel versions of herself to rewind time in order to fix everything as they were before the destruction. She became exhausted from having exert herself, but she followed her grandmother's light to wherever she was to help.

Not wanting to sound Shakespearean, they went straight to the facts of what happened.

They entered a universe where time did not exist. In other words, the reason that they came back within a few days was because the travel back to the human dimension took that long. If they could've come back like walking through a door, they would've been back the very next second. Only Crimson was capable of going that fast, but at the end of the war, she was weakened. There was also no moon or sun. Just a never ending pink sky, so there was no way they could count how long they have actually been there. No one aged, so they could've been there for a year or thousand or even million of years. Someone among the prisoners who was only in their early twenties tried to keep time, but after fifty years, they just stopped, and convinced them that keeping time was pointless.

The universe itself was just like a game board filled with different environments and borders.

The Light used too much of her energy to do what she did, so she was only as powerful as Horakhty. Due to her connection being split from the speck of light, she had no clue of where Chazz was, and didn't want to use her ultimate weapon unless she did, so she simply destroyed whatever or whoever dared to get in her way unless Crimson pleaded with her not to do it.

Crimson was given the responsibility to use her powers to take the prisoners who they could find back to the human dimension and placed in a KC facility that would help them with their trauma.

The other kidnapped prisoners of the Harsh Darkness who felt too broken or enraged to leave teamed up with them to take down the followers of the evil entity in order to get to the entity himself. But it wasn't simple like those fairy tales where a group fought together to get to the princess stuck in the castle.

It was more of a game of torture that tested their humanity and sanity. Yugi saw friendships torn apart and children put into a situation that they shouldn't have been in before they could save them.

The four of them went silent for half an hour before Noe spoke about the lame event where they faced alternate versions of themselves, but they were killed off easily. Mokuba couldn't help noticing that she said that as if she had a harder time killing others. He didn't want to ask about that. He was scared that it would drive her away, but a part of him felt like he had to ask because...

...Who was this woman who was speaking now?

They skipped to the part where they found Levy, and she wanted to save Chazz just as much as they did if not for a purer reason. She was only eleven, and Crimson wanted her to come with her to the human dimension, but she was able to stay because she knew where Chazz was. She was at the Harsh Darkness's fortress before being moved. She wanted to go back so she remembered as many turns and landmarks as she could.

As their only guide, they reluctantly agreed to let her lead the way, and she fought her way through everything with her own brains and strength. She was scared, but she was more scared for Chazz because he was with the monster, and she knew what it was like to remain in a place with a monster. She needed to save Chazz.

But...

Yubel had other plans. Levy had no idea where she was. Yubel was hiding within her as Light and Darkness Dragon would within Chazz, and she tricked Levy into believing that she lost the card. Yubel planned on killing Chazz and ridding of him from the reincarnation cycle, so he could leave the world in peace. She blamed him for this war happening, and that his existence would only further endanger not only the gentle darkness but everyone else.

When they were close to the fortress, she took over Levy's body and turned everyone against the people wanting to save her. Seto challenged her logic to kill Cazz because that would only delay the inevitable that the Harsh Darkness will capture her, and it would only make the war happen again or even worse. This was their chance to have Chazz finally use her card to separate the Harsh Darkness from this dimension.

Yubel retorted that the speck of Light was derived from the Light of Destruction who was as sadistic as the prisoner's torturers while Judai had always stood on his own, and is the purity and happiness of the world. Chazz was responsible for the suffering that happened. Chazz was Pandora, Eve, Cleopatra, Helen and every other woman who was responsible for the downfall of mankind throughout history! She couldn't be trusted!

Critias pointed out that Yubel was the one responsible for this war because she was the one who killed Jun when she was almost to the point that she was powerful enough to take down the Harsh Darkness, and it took three lifetimes in order for the card to be used again!

Yubel said that they had no proof that this happened!

The Light sighed, and pointed out that this was the reason why Jun didn't want to bother seeking justice for her death because this divide of loyalty was going to happen, and no matter what happened, there will be a divide and blood.

Yet, the entity bothered to display the proof by having the sword that Yubel used to kill Jun in her hand. She then revealed her discovery during the war that Yubel was able to know how to craft this because the Harsh Darkness left her a gift. She showed a book that had all the details. Yubel got her hands on it after raiding a meeting that was held by a cult that was rumored to be against the Supreme King. For a book to even mention the Speck of Light when no one else knew of her outside of their trust circle, it had to be authentic.

There were actually multiple recipes in here to create a weapon that could do it, so the Light wouldn't be surprised that Yubel had created a smaller weapon before the sword in order to test them. When she found the one, she exacted her kill.

Yubel tried to deny this by pointing out that the Light was the one providing the evidence. The Light shrugged, and said that though she was a woman of destruction, she was like any serial killer with a motive and a pattern, and this didn't match hers.

She then held up a 'Shattered Queen's Mirror Card', and said that this card was powered by the emotion of envy. It glowed a bright green as it revealed what some of them felt envious about, and they couldn't deny that it was true.

When it was used on Yubel, it revealed her jealousy of the love between Jun and Judai. The card burned ferociously by the intense envy that was within the duel monster.

That convinced more than half the army to choose to save Chazz, but just as predicted, some remained at Yubel's side. Some sympathized with her while others agreed with her that Chazz was to blame and that after the Harsh Darkness is gone, he should be killed as well to atone for their loss. Crimson yelled that that didn't make sense, but it made sense to them, and some of those who sided to save Chazz switched to them because it somehow made sense to them, too.

The divide was created, and Critias lunged to kill Yubel, but Hermos reminded him that she was using Levy's body. Yubel took this chance to use her power to disappear with her army, and head to the fortress. The two divided armies raced to their destination, and an all out war broke out between them when they collided again.

The Light abandoned the fight to get into the fortress, and she used her restored energy to create a portal above the sky to have her accumulated self strike down like a massive lightning into the fortress. Crimson, Jona, Shu, Noemi, Joey, Seto, and Noe used their power to create a shield to protect everyone from the massive explosion.

However, the explosion was too much that Crimson made the choice to only protect her own army while Yubel's own bit the dust. When the explosion ceased, Crimson fell on her knees and was breathing heavily. Noemi held the child she raised, and told the others to go on without them. They would reach up to them. Sanchia and Jolyon remained with them while the others left.

When they reached there, the fortress was still up, but within it, the Light was watching Chazz duel the Harsh Darkness. The entity explained that the explosion held rid of the Harsh Darkness's barriers, tricks, and power. Timaeus pointed out that the Light once told the knights that if the two attacked each other, there would be an explosion. That explained why the lightning strike acted like an atomic bomb when it landed.

The Light was in a lot of pain since her human body began to feel the strain of a god's power, but the attack also helped Chazz break out of his own prison. The child appeared to be fine as he dueled with the Light and Darkness Dragon by his side.

In order to avoid the Light and Harsh Darkness from completely destroying the world, Chazz and the Harsh Darkness agreed to duel with no cheating involved, and the only ones allowed to intervene was Yubel and his past incarnations if they could. The one to ultimately loose will gain their prize. The Harsh Darkness would be allowed to take Chazz's light and bring it to his world if he won, but if he lost, Chazz would use his Super De-fusion card. Considering that the universe revolved around dueling, there was no way the Harsh Darkness or anyone could prevent the winner from gaining his prize.

They then noticed that Jun, Jaswinder and Xiaoling were fighting against Yubel at the other side. That Light explained that the Harsh Darkness took Yubel before she struck, and had her hand the duel monster the sword to even the playing field. This way the Harsh Darkness could only deal with Chazz without the other past incarnations completely interfering. The Light and the rest of them couldn't intervene because it was one of the rules.

Long story short, Chazz was winning, but the Harsh Darkness used a card that hit his life points to zero. Chazz was about to use a face down card to turn everything around, but then Yubel pulled a trick with the sword and had it separate to three blades, and the tip became a bullet. The past incarnations were able to avoid the swords, but it prevented them to stop the bullet heading toward Chazz.

However, Levy took control, and created a mini portal for the bullet to enter, and had that portal appear behind her to strike her from behind, so she could finally stop Yubel before she did anything else.

Chazz became distracted by this act, which gave the Harsh Darkness the opportunity to get her soul. Jun, Jaswinder, Xiaoling, and Light and Darkness Dragon tried to prevent it, but its claws were already deep within Chazz's chest. They tried to hold him back with the three blades as a powerful gust of darkness tried to blow them away.

Everyone thought that they were going to die, and the Light tried to intervene, but Seto stopped her since that meant that Chazz would truly lose. The duel was still on, and Chazz mustered all of his strength combined with his past incarnations and dragon to finally use it. It allowed for their life points to switch, and since the Harsh Darkness no longer had a card that could help it, the entity lost. It tried to defy the win, but the universe was not on its side. The glass pieces came to Chazz, and the Super De-fusion card was finally used.

Every single speck of the Harsh Darkness was drained away from the multiverse, and a border was create to seal it away from both this universe and the Light of Destruction for all eternity.

It was a victory, but it also almost became a loss. During the de-fusion, the Harsh Darkness tried to drag Chazz with him violently that Light and Darkness dragon and Chazz's other cards were destroyed in the process. The Light did intervene, but she was so weak, that her body was killed in the process, but thanks to her, Chazz was spared.

However, Chazz was heavily damaged by what the Harsh Darkness did to him that his Super De-fusion card became regular glass pieces, and his heart stopped. The wielders of the glass pieces tried to use their love and their power to bring the pieces back to life, but it wasn't working.

Seto, Noe, and Joey tried to use their abilities to at least bring Chazz back to life by acting as paramedics. Noe analyzed Chazz's body like an AED, and Seto provided the electric shock.

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!" Seto cried out._

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _Joey carefully gave Chazz chest thrusts and two breaths._

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _They did it again._

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _They did it again._

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _They did it again._

 _BEEP!_

 _"CLEAR!"_

 _BRRR!_

 _THUMP!_

 _beep...beep...beep..._

 _"We got a pulse, but it's weak!" Noe cried out relieved._

 _"But the glass pieces are still not glowing." Shu sounded both disappointed and afraid. What did this mean? They needed the glass pieces for Jun/Wadjet to come out. Why are they not glowing?_

 _Crimson, who was still weak, monotonously told them, "They can only be powered if Chazz is able to feel love. This means he can't feel it. He can't feel love."_

 _"Not permanently, right?" The bluenet questioned hopefully._

 _Crimson blinked slowly, and then answered, "I don't know. When the card broke, the pieces still glowed. My mom was able to feel love. I can still feel Chazz's spark, but it's so low like it can be snuffed out, and if that happens, she won't be reincarnated. At least that's what my grandmother told me."_

Noemi told her that she could stop and rest. She was the only one capable of bringing them home now, so they waited on her to heal. But then the second body of the Light appeared, and was able to bring them back home with the limited power she had stored away in case something like this happened.

Of course, Levy's wound was treated, and she survived. Yubel's soul was returned to the card, and they discussed of what to do with it. They thought of what would be the worse punishment, and the Light thought of the perfect one, and didn't bother to share. The others didn't care. If anyone knew how to torture someone, it was the Light, so they left it to her.

When they reached home, Crimson was returned to the red star to heal. The victims of the Harsh Darkness were sent to a facility to help them with their trauma. Jona and the others who had died were sent to the afterlife since the pieces and Crimson were unable to allow them into the living. The glass pieces were kept at a safe location. The legendary Knights set off to figure out how to cope with Jun's disappearance again, but now with Crimson, they were helping Levy heal. The Light disappeared to do her own business.

Chazz was bought to a hospital, and there had been a few mishaps, but he was alive.

And that was the end of the story.

Seto had everyone leave to deal with their own personal issues except for the brothers. Joey gave him a good luck kiss before leaving, too.

Chazz was sleeping peacefully before he awoke a few hours later. Seto gave him a welcoming, loving smile that spoke with a warm voice that would resonate within someone's body. His blue eyes were a liquid blue that shone with fond familiarity. He still held that expression even when Chazz looked at him with a pale, blank face with dull grey eyes.

The half dragon was very careful with telling him of what happened to him after the duel.

Chazz replied with a monotone, "Okay."

._._._.

 _Song: Daughter - Youth covered Daniela Andrade and Dabin_

Chazz felt detached.

Like he was stuffed in a coffin filled with spikes, and he could feel their tips graze against his skin as he became numbed from being paralyzed. And every now and then, a single drilling spike that was aimed at the center of his chest descended deeper and deeper into him. Sometimes it hurt. Sometimes he felt numbed, but he could feel its texture move inside him.

And when someone spoke, the spikes closed in on him. Especially when it was someone he's supposed to love.

Supposed to love...

Love was...Love was the feeling of raw happiness by a person's existence because they effected you intimately with or without meaning to.

Chazz was surrounded by love that was so pure and good. He could recognize love, and knew how to love, but his body wouldn't let him.

He knew the rush of excitement that dueling bought him, but his cards were damaged. Pegasus created a replica, but it wasn't the same deck. It was empty. He did duel with Yugi and the others, but...it felt like playing with a replicated body of a corpse, and to hold the replicated Light and Darkness Dragon card felt like he was holding to a replica toy heart that did not beat.

He knew the joy he felt when he danced, but...his feet felt like they were being stabbed by knives with each step he took.

He couldn't duel, he couldn't dance, he couldn't love, and he was very well aware of that.

He was drowned in guilt every time he saw a smile. He was punctured by sorrow every time they tolerated his monotone behavior. He couldn't breathe every time he was surrounded by people who were doing better than him. Mokuba and Noe's love became stronger despite her sins. Joey and Seto remained in love and it didn't change at all despite the event. Yugi and Tea were taking the fragile steps of moving forward together while Chazz was stuck in one place.

They were his family. They were his friends. And yet all they could ever bring him was pain, and he felt guilty for that.

His brain couldn't handle his heart feeling both nothing and everything uncontrollably, that it was all a blend of numbness that was lethal for their body. The brain wanted to rid of this killer inside them by hitting the restart button. The heart was against this, and thus was a struggle of coping with the trauma.

He was fighting a war inside him that was trying to save his body, but was ultimately killing him inside. But on the outside, he just appeared sluggish and uninterested of the world.

He only wanted to love. He only wanted to duel. He only wanted to dance with everyone! Yet no matter how simple these desires were, he just couldn't win.

He was breathing, but he didn't gain a revelation unless he was on the verge of death.

Just like...Just like...Just like...

"Who?"

"Who is Jaden?"

"Who is Levy?"

"Who is Xiaoling?"

"Who is Jaswinder?"

"Who is Jun?"

"Who is Light and Darkness Dragon?"

"Who...am I?"

 _Song: This is Gospel - Panic! at the Disco (Piano version)_

He asked this as he looked down from the merlon of his mansion.

"CHAZZ, PLEASE STOP!" A familiar voice cried out.

"Please Chazz! You don't have to go any farther than this. You are already on the edge! Come back to us!" It pleaded so strongly with a desperate love that he knew was for him. That he knew meant that his existence was cherished, but he jut couldn't feel happiness. He just couldn't feel loved and give love in return.

"I'm useless." He spoke with a voice that had so much raw emotion at the back of his throat, but the words evaded from being smothered in them. "I can't love you. Even when I know how...even when I know what love is...I can't."

"Just breathe, Chazz. It's just another bad day. Not a bad life. You can overcome this without going overboard!"

"Stop jabbering! Just take him off of there!"

"He needs to make this his own choice because he'll only attempt this again, but the next time, it might not be somewhere so public."

"He's right." Chazz agreed. "I remember someone able to break away from immense tragedy through near death because they hit their lowest point. I thought I was when I woke up to find myself unable to do anything that I once loved. I thought I was when I began to forget the faces of everyone I was supposed to love. And now, even when I am here, I still feel like I haven't reached any lower. Where is it? Where is the lowest point?"

"Maybe there isn't." A female's voice rang through him, but it was deafened before it could reach any emotion inside him that could spark a new emotion. "Your pain is different than my first mother's. You both lost people you love by the same monster, and you're being choked by guilt. But the monster only took away her identity. Can you remember that, Chazz? She told us that she was a hero not to be looked up to because regretted her attempt at suicide. She believed no one has to go that far to get back up again. If only she had gone to a place where she wasn't alone, then she believed that she didn't have to do that. So much has been taken from you, Chazz, but you are here with people who love you, and willing to go through any harmless craziness to help you at least get on your feet and get you at the right direction! Anything would be better than this! I'll play the villain if you need me to!"

"But what...what purpose do I have?" Chazz questioned the ultimate question that billions question themselves.

"I don't know, but we'll make something up just to get started because every beginning has a shitty rough draft! Your purpose is to be the best duelist out there! To be the next king of games!" She tried, yet Chazz was still distant.

"To rule the world!"

"SHUT UP, LIGHT!"

"To...rule the world?" Chazz turned around, and his mind was whirling his thoughts. He stepped off of that merlon, and his brothers embraced him. They were so glad that he chose to be with them, but then the little brother said, "I'm sorry for being an idiot. I'm sorry for being a slacker. I promise to try better next time, so please, don't be so mad."

And thus, the new beginning started.

 _Song: Mad Hatter - Melanie Martinez_

._._._.

"So he's suffering from psychogenic amnesia and is confabulating his memories in order to cope with the trauma and stress." Critias paraphrased what he was told by Seto. The legendary knights, the CEO, and Levy were at the care treatment facility for those traumatized by the war. All of their memories, except for Levy's, were erased, and changed to help them restart their lives. Levy kept hers because she wanted to deal with them and atone for the sins in any way she could. They were against it since she was so young, but she convinced them that she was thinking straight. Critias was the first to agree with her decision since he needed her to help him cope with Jun's absence once again.

"I thought we already did that." Hermos said. They also erased Chazz's painful memories of the war, and tried to pass it off as a normal kidnapping since he was too young to deal with them.

"We did." Seto assured him. "But it looks like either we did not rewrite his memory enough, or the scars in his body were deeper than we thought. It looks like we can't pass off with lies that coincide with normal living. It looks like Chazz is getting by through an insane one. He confabulated a world where his brothers were abusive towards him because he was not trying hard enough to be a great duelist."

"Why would he think of such a world?" Timaeus was dumbstruck by that.

"It gets worse. He refuses to use the replica of his deck. His excuse was that he couldn't read what they could do, and even if it was explained, he said that he still couldn't understand. He is truly trying to erase any trace of his past. He forgot everyone except for his brothers."

"Even Jaden?" Levy was told the true story behind the Princess and the King that Chazz once told her. She loathed the fact that she was the best friend in the story.

The half dragon sighed and answered, "He was the first to go. We considered having Chazz see Jaden to see if being in his presence would help her." Seto switched to the female pronoun. "However when we told her that she was going to see Jaden, she automatically said, 'Renee is dead' before acting like she knew nothing of Jaden or of Renee either."

The violet-blue haired thirteen-year-old stared at him with an indescribable expression before looking down at her lap. "I was the second to go right...Because of Yubel."

Hermos quickly grabbed her shoulder. "Hey! Hey! Don't go back to that place! Remember what we told you!"

Levy gripped the fabric of her pants hard with a trembling hand before letting it go. She nodded, and then faced Seto with wavering eyes of determination. "When Yubel took over me, I felt the envy that burned within her. It hurt so much, and her reasons behind it didn't make sense. Why couldn't she love Jun as much as I love Chazz? Is it because we grew up differently? Is it because she was made into a duel monster instead of being born into one? Is the answer behind what she did could ever truly justify her actions? I don't want to be that person who hates and justifies it. Hatred only stunts the growth of an individual, and I can't allow that to happen. Just as Chazz is aiming to try to survive in this world for everyone he loves, I will strive to become a better person who can be wheeled up by his side even if he doesn't remember me. We still have so many years ahead of ourselves to make new ones."

"I applaud your determination," Seto let her know, "But it's ridiculous to keep yourself in that wheelchair." He looked down at the paraplegic pre-teen. "Kaiba Corporation is capable of giving you back your ability to walk if you gave us the chance. We are only at the beginning stages, but I assure you that we will have you and others with a similar problem be on their feet again."

Levy chuckled, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know that I am acting like an idiot, but if ever do get possessed again, I rather make it difficult for them. Is it truly terrible to want to remain like this as my punishment? I danced beside Chazz on these legs, and these legs were also used to stand against the people he loved... I wished they could be cut off." She looked down at her limbs in disgust.

Then her head was patted by Hermos. "You should really remembah dat you gotta not hate yourself either. You can only give a lot of love if ya have some with you to begin with."

"It's true." Timaeus agreed as he placed a comforting hand on hers. "You are not at fault for anything since you were the victim of being possessed, and even now, you show to have a noble and beautiful heart. You can become stronger, Levy, and we'll help you with every step of the way."

Critias placed a hand on her immovable legs, and said, "None of us see you as Yubel. Just simply Levy. A woman loved by Jun and deserved to be."

Levy stared at the three of them who once again tragically lost the woman they loved, but appeared strong and kind to her who was an accomplice in that tragedy. She couldn't help crying.

._._._.

"I'm sorry that you have to play the roles of abusive parents lately." Crimson told the Princeton brothers apologetically while having dinner together. Chazz was present earlier, but he was allowed to go to bed early since he was sleepy. The child had no idea who Crimson was other than a family friend, but the daughter understandably didn't mind it.

"It's a nightmare, but if Chazz truly attempted to kill himself, then we would've hated ourselves more than we do right now." Jagger assured her that they were not great, but fine at best.

Slade remained quiet with an understandably upset expression. Crimson reached out to him, "Though there's no reason you should hate yourselves. Slade, you did all the right things, and you were the perfect older brother for Chazz, but...it just wasn't what Chazz was looking for. The best comparison for this is that we're playing with fire. Chazz needs you to give him pain to smother the real one."

"I know." Slade knew that, but he still questioned himself. Did he leave Chazz alone for too long when he was just gone for a few minutes? Did he smother him? Did he love him incorrectly, so he made too many mistakes without realizing it? Was he too broken by their father to be able to give enough love to Chazz in the first place?

He knew he just had to put up an act to help Chazz try to live another day as he was being healed through therapy, medicine, and guidance. However, he couldn't help remembering what his own father did to him, and now he had to do that to Chazz? He couldn't bear the thought of himself becoming a monster, but Jagger was always there to remind him that he wasn't as bad as his father. However despite his reassurance, Slade wanted Jagger to always be by his side when he had to act like the bad parent.

One time, he slapped Chazz hard enough to have him bleed when Jagger was absent because his anger got the best of him. He knew he was angry that day. He knew that he was dangerous, yet when Chazz was there, he used him as an outlet. Slade felt himself break down after realizing what he did. He was always careful to never let Chazz ever see this side of him, but suddenly, the acting turned real for him.

Jagger was stunned when he was told what happened, and he quickly helped Slade by agreeing to his terms that Chazz was never allowed alone with him, and he wasn't allowed to lay a finger either. Only Jagger was allowed, and the adopted brother did deliver less painful slaps to Chazz when he saw that his little brother was lost in thoughts far more dangerous than them. Slade felt guilty for asking that from someone who had no blood-related obligations to stay with the family, yet remained out of love.

Jagger did know that he was doing something wrong, but he recognized that he was doing to for the right reasons, and that he would never allow it to become worse. He had to keep things stable, and he was willing to take on that responsibility.

He continued the conversation that they were having with Crimson, "How is Jaden? Is Yubel finally away from him?" They heard that the Light erased Yubel's memories of the war, and allowed the duel monster with the child. Everyone was angry by the choice that the Light would leave a murderer with an innocent child. But it was part of an ingenious plan of the Light who can predict a person's next move.

Crimson gave a sad smile, "Starting with Jaden, well...since Chazz refuses to remember him, and the two of them meeting will only cause fresh scars to reopen, I had to lie to Jaden that Renee hadn't been able to contact him since she went to a new, very strict boarding school, and then found herself a new boyfriend. Jaden didn't believe me at all since he knew that Renee wasn't the type to ditch their love like that. It took a lot of persuasion, that I even had to pretend to be Renee over a phone call, and he was heart broken. And it seemed to get worse after what Yubel did to him, but I supposed it was my grandmother's idea to let Yubel face her ultimate punishment, and that was to be abandoned by Jaden." Crimson wasn't surprised that Yubel would put people into comas for her reincarnated father, but because of that, Jaden was isolated. If she knew that this was part of her grandmother's plan, she would've stopped her, but she was too late.

"I can hardly call that a real punishment since the abandonment was most likely caused out of kindness." Slade bitterly pointed out. They were well aware of Kaiba Corporation's new mission to send cards out into space, but weren't sure about what happened after.

The red head let them know, "That's true. Yubel probably felt loved, but love is a fragile feeling that can be broken and recreated into a tool for suffering. My grandmother is making sure of that." She sipped her tea with a malicious calmness in her eyes. This was the only time she ever truly felt that the punishment fitted the crime.

"How is Levy by the way?" Jagger asked. The Princeton brothers were worried for her despite Levy being the reincarnation of Yubel. They recognized her as Chazz's dearest best friend, and the one who nearly killed herself to save him.

"She's getting better slowly with the help of my legendary knight uncles. She's likes living in India with her extended family. She misses Jaden and Chazz, but she's still in too much pain to contact Jaden often and to face Chazz. Hopefully our guidance will lead the three of them to get back together again like Uncle Critias, Hermos and Timaeus. They did it for three life times, so I have faith that they'll be together again."

She hoped for that to happen someday. She will remain at Jaden's side to help him as his own nanny in a slightly different form. Her Legendary Knight Uncles will help Levy fight against the pain of the war. The Princeton brothers will try to keep Chazz from ever going to the edge again. And they all had the love and support of everyone else.

She had no reason not to hope.

 _Song: Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas (Female Lullaby version)_

._._._.

A/N:

So this is the aftermath of the war you didn't get to read about.

And if you're lost on some things or feel I have left some things out then:

The Legendary Knights are not in the afterlife since they were frozen, so they are still alive. Jona, Noemi, and Jolyon gave up their bodies to be in the afterlife with their loved ones. Crimson can bring them back to the living for a day or two like before, but after she regained her strength. By then, they have no real purpose to go to the living other than talking to Joey and the others and figuring out a way to bring the pieces back to life.

I didn't go deep into Seto, Joey, and Noe's recovery since I want to base this story more around Chazz. I hope I did his pain justice.

Levy did move to India to be around family to cope with what she went through, she is receiving help from the knights to guide her to overcome her obstacles, and she is still in contact with Jaden, but not often due to the guilt and pain she feels for being the reincarnation of a monster who destroyed his past life, and is afraid that it's in her nature to become that monster again.

The whole 'Yubel putting people into coma thing' happened while Crimson was still in recovery and Chazz was put into a coma. Then the 'Send the cards to space KC thing' happened around Chazz's depression and wayward recovery. All of this happening within half a year. So both Jaden and Chazz are ten when they experience their traumatic childhood.

Jaden isn't told about this war happening since he can't do anything without putting Levy and Chazz into more pain, and that could wreck Jaden's little heart, so they believed 'ignorance was bliss'.

 **Please Review!** Just a 'nice' would do! I feel like I wrote some controversial stuff in my last chapter, and I don't know whether I insulted anyone or went overboard than it needed be.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Now welcome Chazz in Duel Academy after a short look at how his life was before that.

WARNING: This is a RAGESHIPPING fic, CHAZZ WILL BE WITH HAOU AT THE END OF THIS! But Chazz will be involved with other people since Duel Academy is a high school, and Chazz will explore his sexuality and love behind the scenes of the weird shit happening at Duel Academy until I hit the last part of season 3.

There will be:

1\. One-sided Rivalshipping (Chazz x Jaden)

2\. Heartbreak Majesticshipping (Chazz x Zane) - Zane will be OOC on purpose since I'm starting with his season 1 personality, and he does have a cool and collected one, but it literally does revolve around dueling more than the other characters, so to take a step away from that makes me very unsure of how he responds to situations that are not duel related, and when he isn't with Alexis or another person with more energy by his side.

3\. Friends with benefits Hornetshipping (Chazz x Bastion)

4\. Confabulated Valentineshipping (Chazz x Alexis)

5\. One-sided confused Stormshipping (Chazz x Atticus)

6\. Very awkward Jewelshipping (Chazz x Jesse) - If you read this, you know why it's awkward.

Maybe more, but let's see where this goes.

._._._.

 _Song: Cry little Sister - G Tom Mac_

Chazz moved away from Domino City to get away from the life he wouldn't remember. He did homeschooling for the next two years while also seeing a psychiatrist. His medication helped him get the sleep he needed and increased his appetite. He was also given acting lessons, so he could act like a very confident duelist in front of the depressed boy he was. Chazz liked the acting lessons because he really wanted to know how he needed to act. He was desperate to do whatever made his brothers proud of him.

Slade and Jagger wished they could tell him that he just needed to succeed at what he loved, but then 'love' wasn't the appropriate word to use. The glass pieces still showed no light, and everyone was in the midst of creating a plan to help Chazz regain his ability to love again. So Slade and Jagger simply pushed Chazz to become the king of games and nothing more.

During those two years, Chazz abandoned his identity as half a female. He refused to wear female clothes, and did not want to be referred to with female pronouns. He demanded voice lessons to make his voice sound more masculine.

It nearly crushed the brothers' hearts when Chazz told them that he wanted chest surgery when he noticed that he had been developing female breasts. He also felt discomfort below his stomach which meant that he was having his period. He did have a vaginal opening behind his male parts to allow the blood to flow out. Chazz had done this to his body when he still had his powers and had Jaswinder help him create it. With their knowledge of course.

Now, the interboy wanted to remove the part of him that his old self proudly wanted because he wanted to have a child. They gave Chazz the choice to become a girl instead to still make that possible, but Chazz was against that since the world recognized him as a boy. He then began to act violently because they weren't conforming with his made up world, so they had to convince him that he was too young for surgeries, so that was why he still had his female parts.

They had him stick with a bind until the issue of going to a public hot springs or swimming pool with classmates came up. They had Seto use his powers to pretend to be a surgeon that would give Chazz the chest of a man, though it was nothing more than an illusion. The CEO and everyone else did not want to do anything to the uterus since they may accidentally damage it, and a lot of things may go wrong if they chose to freeze Chazz's eggs. Thus, the interboy was lied to that he was too young to have his uterus removed, so he had to learn how to use a tampon or other female items to handle his period until he came of age (which was never).

The older brothers knew that Chazz was acting the way he was because he was making up lies in his mind that they wanted him to appear as a man. This sort of behavior reminded them that their father would've done this to Chazz without the kid's approval. It was as if their dead father was haunting them and trying to change Chazz to his image to exact his revenge for being killed by them.

They were reassured by Joey and Noe that there was no ghost lurking around their brother. However, it appeared that the ravenet was changing his world into what he was told would have happened to him if his father was still alive. That explained why Chazz's fake memories were shaped the way they were.

Though times were painful, Chazz would show his old, happier self for such a small second. As time went by, it would happen at least for two seconds or more before slinking back to its shelter from the outside world. The small glowing spark in his eyes would briefly appear when he saw aquamarine gemstones, the color red, flowers, golden retrievers, hero comic books, Slade's political debates, Jagger writing down numbers, dance competitions, starfishes, tigers, duels on television, stars, and other random things that they knew were connected to the people he loved.

Seto obviously kept track of how Chazz was doing everyday at the morning, afternoon and evening. He couldn't calm down unless he knew how Chazz was doing. Noe was one of the people to report to him since she would come by the mansion to act as one of Chazz's many tutors. She taught him about the different fields of science. Joey also came as a physical education and health tutor to keep Chazz in shape. He avoided doing dances since Chazz appeared to be in a lot of pain when they tried it once. Yugi would also appeared in a disguise as Chazz's one of many duel instructors to see how he was doing when he wasn't busy, and Tea would go with him from time to time.

Crimson had split herself into three people. One was to act as Jaden's nanny. She would also report to Seto of how he was doing, but no one else bothered to visit Jaden since they weren't that close to him. And Jaden seemed to also experience a case of amnesia, so Tea wouldn't be remembered as the woman who took care of Renee, but as the wife of the King of Games. Jaden didn't know before since plenty of children only concentrated on their idol's activities and not who they marry unless the wife was pregnant or did something controversial.

Crimson's second clone was to act as the hero of the twelve dimensions. And the third one was to act as Chazz's foreign language tutor.

During their visits, Chazz appeared to have gone back to normal with his dual personality from very respectable boy to sassy smart ass the next. He got angry, happy, a non-lethal type of sad, childishly afraid, disgusted, excited, surprised, relieved, calm, and acted out many other emotions. To an outsider to the truth of Chazz's traumatic past, Chazz would've appeared to be a regular child. But to those who knew, they did know better that Chazz was doing his acting class justice. He did feel the negative emotions strongly while the positive ones were extremely weak.

But at least he was alive, and he was trying, and he would heal.

They were sure of that as the light in his eyes appeared longer and longer ever so slowly.

Eventually during those two years, Chazz also showed to be able to bear to duel, but he still couldn't bear to dance. He was able to attend Duel Prep School, and became the number one to impress his brothers. They were and showed it, and simply bask in the complicated happiness.

When Duel Prep School was coming to an end within a few months, Seto set up a meeting to ultimately determine which duel academy of his that Chazz should attend.

Crimson immediately pointed out that Jaden planned on attending Duel Academy. Jaden had some emotional issues from what happened with Yubel, but just like Chazz, they acted like regular teenagers.

Levy was not attending any academies, and only wished to continue a simple education and become employed by Kaiba Corporation. Kaiba would obviously not go easy on her since he didn't hire anyone for special reasons other than Mokuba, but he admitted that Levy would be employed since she had a tactical and strategic mind that would be a loss to let go.

Back to the topic, Seto was hesitant in letting Jaden and Chazz meet again. The two have grown over the last six years that they most likely wouldn't recognize each other at all, but there had been strange duel energy readings at Duel Academy that may be connected to the Sacred Beast cards. The fact that Jaden was heading there meant that strange events would happen. The Light told him that nothing that will happen at that island could be any more worse than the war, and maybe the adventures could help light up the glass pieces. She had seen the files of the other academy students, and she found it so funny that so many reincarnations from Jun's life time were there or heading there.

Seto was going to take that into consideration, but wanted to hear about the other academies. The Princetons considered East Academy because it was considered the rich duelists' Academy since only the rich could be enrolled there. Also the likelihood of success in careers other that pro-dueling was higher than any of the academies.

Joey thought that South Academy would be better since it had more outdoor and hands-on activities with plenty of overseas traveling opportunities. It would be a great environment for Chazz's health, and the duelists there are both competitive and friendly. It's a lot friendlier than West Academy with their military/spartan lifestyle where duelists were put through harsh conditions and trials, and only the best was allowed to sleep in a comfy room while others slept at either cabins or tents.

Noe believed that Chazz needed to be at a place he could just take over such as North Academy with their ranking system. Chazz would easily be number one.

Tea questioned of whether they should bother sending him to an academy in the first place if there was a chance that something supernatural would happen. Young duelists such as Aster Pheonix were able to make a name for themselves without having to attend these academies.

That was a good point, and Yugi thought he should also share something that he hadn't shared with the others. "It's this." He placed the winged Kuriboh card on the table.

Crimson gasped. "Winged Kuriboh! The first Kuriboh ever created by my mom when she fell in love with my dad! Did Pegasus give that to you?"

Yugi placed the card back into his pouch as he nodded. "Uh huh. The little guy and my Kuriboh get along very well, but it appears that Winged Kuriboh has no memories of the Supreme King or Jun ever creating him."

"It is a dead duel monster spirit." Joey pointed out. Life that asexually reproduced wasn't in the reincarnation system. "Some ghosts forget, some don't. Especially the ones holding a grudge."

"Yup, and about that...Winged Kuriboh actually jogged a memory of mine that happened when Atem was around. I believe it happened after Battle City. I guess I sort of blocked it because it involved Yubel."

"Wait, what?" Seto knew there was a chronological problem there. "You met Yubel before the war?"

"Not exactly..." Yugi became uncomfortable, but then he knew he had to share. He then began to explain how a villain named Paradox tried to rid the game of duel monsters through stealing powerful dragons*. Seto and Joey remembered that because their dragons were stolen after some crazy duelist appeared, but then they were returned to them. This was before they had dragon powers, so they decided not to bother questioning why it happened since it was a supernatural event.

Yugi then went on to tell them that he dueled along side a future version of Jaden who had his soul fused with Yubel. The room went coldly silent before all eyes went on the Light.

She shrugged it off as, "Parallel future version. You guys already know the future has multiple outcomes, and one out of the zillions of them can invade our present and only change the future. They might also meet the speck of light, but the speck of light may not meet them in the future. But let's not get deep into that conversation because the way the multiverse works will only scramble your brains like poor little me." She made a pout that urged for pity to rain on her.

Noe inquired, "You say that your head is scrambled, but you sound more sane than before where you aren't randomly laughing and writhing your body like some sicko achieving an orgasm. Or did you achieved the ability to act sane?"

The entity happily explained, "With the Harsh Darkness gone, I have better control of myself, and most of my activities happen in this universe where my beloved Chazz is. I only mess with the supreme kings of the other worlds just for fun in those before making them think they achieved their destiny." She cheerily smiled, and then maliciously grinned with bright grey eyes. "This only makes me more dangerous, but for Chazz, I'm being a good girl who only kill people she's hired to kill." No one commented on her assassination business. At least her psychotic acts were kept behind close doors with people who probably got what they deserved.

They thought about her parallel future answer, and it sounded like it could make sense. The future was never solid unless their speck of light lived it, but if that Jaden came to this timeline with Chazz as the speck of light, then wouldn't that mean...But if...Yeah, that's a very hard question to answer, so they strayed away from that topic. Plus, the Light had no motives to release Yubel unless she wanted to hurt Chazz, and from what happened during the war, it wasn't likely.

They decided to let fate play its role until they knew that they had to intervene.

Back into the academy discussion with the Yubel conflict cast aside for now, they talked about whether he should bother to enroll or not. Yugi pointed out that Chazz can be a great duelist, but he should form true friendships. These last six years, he had only been surrounded by people out to use him for his greatness, and they will abandon him the second he wasn't great anymore. He believed that these academies could provide these true friendships for him.

Everyone agreed with him.

East and North Academy were scrapped from the conversation because Chazz didn't need to be coddled in the academy to achieve in life. West Academy was definitely out of the picture since Chazz's medical necessities for his depression would prevent him from being enrolled in the first place.

That left Duel or South Academy. It was either Chazz was sent to an active volcanic island with questionable activities and a long lost love, or he be sent to a friendly outdoor school that had a hot Australian paleontologist with a crocodile for a partner.

Crimson couldn't help staring at the human version of General Cook when she had his file open on the table. She saw him disguised as a human so long ago, but to actually see what his human form looked like was surreal. She also noted that he had the eye of Orichalcum. The same stone eye that Jun gave General Cook that gave him the ability to see into a person's soul.

Seto had done detective work on this Jim, and apparently, there was a poem that went with it, that could be a possible connection to Jaden and a meteorite. He looked to the Light to know if she had anything to do with it, but she swore she had nothing to do with that. She had been spending most of her time torturing Yubel, and putting a certain satellite plan in motion just for fun. The meteorite knew more than her about what hell was going to happen, which was funny to her.

Mokuba figured, "From what I see, Chazz is gonna be pulled into whatever destiny has planned for him no matter what we choose. North and Duel Academy has their annual duel. This Jim guy has a connection to Jaden. West Academy is a definite no-no, so maybe East Academy is the best choice to lessen those odds."

But then Crimson told them, "Actually, East Academy has the reincarnation of my half brother, Amon." She made an awkward nodded with her eyes wondering anywhere in the room, except their eyes. There was so many questions to that, but that could wait for another time.

The Light interrupted the awkward silence smoothly, "Well when you have destiny in question, you know what to do."

Joey took out a quarter from his pocket, and gave it to the Princeton brothers since they were Chazz's main guardians. Slade decided to be the one to flip it, and Jagger was the one to catch it.

Heads - South Academy. Reincarnated General Cook sounded better than reincarnated half-brother who was supposed to rule the twelve dimensions after his father.

Tails - Duel Academy. To the hope that whatever Chazz goes through will help him and not destroy him.

Flip!

Catch!

Smack!

"It looks like fate has spoken." Jagger said.

"...Let's try again." Slade said and they did, and they did it one more time. It was the same.

Seto accepted the three same results, and determined, "Duel Academy it is."

._._._.

 _Song: Dancing Through Life - From Wicked_

 **Episode 1**

At Domino City where duels were played all over the city because Seto Kaiba took over a majority of the place, and only registered duelists and their immediate family had rights to things such as medical care apparently. It was insane, but the dicta- CEO of Kaiba Corporation was determined to make duel monsters a necessity in every day life to everyone. At least one person in a family has to be a duelist to gain these rights. And strangely, it actually helped boost employment, the economy and other things that stabilized the city.

And as this crazy lifestyle continued to sink in throughout the world because of a cra- uh hum- brilliant man, at a hotel room held a peacefully, snoring teen.

 _ **SLAM!**_

"JADEN! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" Crimson cried out after slamming the doors open in her older woman disguise! She was still crimson-haired with her light brown skin tone, but she grew out her hair to curls with a shaved side, and put on makeup. Jaden did notice that she looked similar to Renee's mom before the boy blocked out Renee from his memories since she was part of his traumatic isolated childhood. Jaden did get a few friends during middle school, and acted like a regular boy with her help.

The now sixteen-year-old jumped up by the sudden bang and cried out news. "WHAT?!" He leaped out of bed, and quickly got ready. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?!"

"I told you to set your alarm clock! Did you accidentally attack it in your sleep again!" She saw the poor fallen, unplugged alarm clock. "You did!"

"I did? Oh, I did." The two looked at each other, and then couldn't help laughing. "Hahahaha!"

But then Crimson snapped out of it, "Wait! This is no time for laughing! Get running already with your deck and duel disk!" She held up the bag. "I did not duel you for a week straight, booked an expensive hotel to be near the exam building, and drove you to every buffet restaurant in Domino City just for you to lose your chance! Now go!"

"Right! Thanks for everything, Nanny Shani!" Jaden said with energetic fondness with the name he was given to call her. "I won't let you down! I'll show these guys what I'm made of!" He promised her as he ran out of the hotel room with a slice of toast in his mouth and a bottle of water.

He gobbled it all down, threw the bottle in a recycling bin like a pro, and ran faster.

Yugi was near the entrance exams waiting for Crimson, and he wandered a bit just in case something supernatural would happen. He hadn't expected to bump into Jaden, and see that he looked nearly like the Jaden he knew back when he dueled Paradox. Only more wide-eyed and young. Perhaps the Jaden he met was from a parallel future, but just to make sure that Jaden didn't go on a journey alone, he gave him the Winged Kuriboh. The little guy was also with the parallel future Jaden, so this could be a meeting that was meant to be. Yugi hoped it wasn't.

Jaden thanked him before hurrying to the entrance exams.

While he ran against the time, Chazz was already at the place in the blue uniform he earned earlier. His brothers wanted him to see Jaden duel for the entrance exams, so they lied to him that he better go to scope out the competition. Chazz watched as random duelists either win or lose their exams. He ignored a majority of them except for three.

One was Syrus Truesdale. Younger brother of Zane Truesdale who was the Kaiser of Duel Academy. Chazz was disappointed by how lame he dueled, but felt impressed that someone of the same blood could be the complete opposite of his older brother. The only thing they shared in common was the deck having something to do with technology and their hairs being within the spectrum of blue.

The second was Bastion Misawa. He was told that he was some wiz-kid with perfect scores on the exam. Chazz wasn't really impressed since he lived with a genius, and had been to their boring gatherings. They all acted like such pretentious nerds. But unlike a majority of those nerds, this one was pretty nice to look at with his broad shoulders and sexy British accent. He buried that thought.

Then there was the third: Jaden Yuki.

When Chazz heard his name and saw the shape of his hair, it triggered something in him. His whole body felt a short yet sharp electrical current flow throughout his body. His chest felt hot like a fire uncomfortably leaning against his rib cage. Something unpleasant was lurching forward in his mind, and he tried to block it away while keeping calm. He merely only growled when he was talked to before calming himself. The fire cooled away, and his mind remained stagnant as he watched the duel like he did with the other ones.

Crimson and Yugi were sitting right behind him while they were invisible and muted from people's ears. She was disappointed by her fourth mother's reaction, but she was glad that she didn't have a breakdown. Yugi was glad as well, and then felt his ear nearly blown out when Crimson cheered for her second dad! She was ecstatic when he won against a rare monster!

Chazz on the other hand was in complete disbelief that something like that happened, and wondered if that was an actual win or a fluke. He wanted to duel this person with an urge he believed that he hadn't felt before, and he was sure to see this duelist again.

 _"Jaden..."_ He filed the name into his mind, but didn't expect it to echo inside him in a way that felt confusing.

After the entrance exam was over, Jaden hurried over to the park that he promised to report to his nanny at. While he was running, Crimson and Yugi teleported to behind a tree there before heading to the legendary knights who were waiting for them. They recently moved into Domino City for Levy's high school years and internship for Kaiba corporation. The three of them had adapted well with the modern world, that they were dressed fashionably casual at the park. Moms and young teens couldn't help staring or trying to secretly get pictures of them. They, or more like Critias, rejected anyone who asked to take photos with them.

Crimson reported, "It looked like the Renee in Chazz was trying to come back for a moment, but she was blocked out like expected." She said with a light-hearted disappointed tone. She sighed. "But I guess that proves that Chazz and Jaden can see each other without their traumatic past throwing them into a pit of depression, but still, it'd be nice if they just remembered the parts where they were in love. I remember when those two made a proper love confession at an arcade in front of the restrooms. It doesn't sound romantic, but if you put it in context, it definitely is!"

"We believe you." Hermos told her, remembering when she told them after it happened. "But memories are a tricky thing. So did you see anyone else from our life time?"

"Yup! I saw uncle Daichi, and he's a really smart and cool guy who's half Japanese and British! I also saw step-papa Shu who is really small and adorable like an owl but with some serious issues, but I'm sure Duel Academy will help him! Also Knight Ryo and Queen Asuka! Those two were standing together. I wonder if they're dating."

"You're just hoping for that, so neither of them could get in between your parents." Critias saw through her, and Crimson felt his words strike her like an arrow. She grinned shamelessly anyway.

Yugi smiled at her grin, and commented, "I can definitely see him being the child you raised when you smile like that. From his match, I can tell that he's pretty overconfident because you spoiled him, but you taught a very fine duelist on your own."

The dragon couldn't help blushing, "Thank you very much! It's kinda weird to hear that, though, since I basically raised my dad when it's supposed to be the other way around, but we only got to see each other for a little while..." Her body dropped uncontrollable tears without her permission. She then remembered the painful past of accidentally being the cause of destroying a dimension that not only killed her father, but also everyone her mother ever met and loved.

She huddled at a tree as she cried her depression away. The men glared at Yugi who flinched by their dark aura.

"BUT THAT'S OKAY!" Crimson jumped back up after wiping her tears away. "Life is gonna happen and being depressed isn't gonna fix it! The best thing I can do for my reincarnated half-brother is to stay out of his business! I'm sure things will work out for him! What I can do for my reincarnated dad is to help guide him with the lessons of friendships that I have been taught, so he would never be lonely again! What I can do for my fourth mom is to help her heal! I can do this!"

She was pumped up, and threw out some punches and kicks to throw some energy around. She was interrupted when she was called on, "Nanny Shani!" Jaden ran over to her. The men slipped away just as he was arriving.

Crimson demanded excitedly, "Jaden! Tell me the big news!" Then asked seriously with a deep voice, "Did you make it there on time?"

The teen chuckled since he always heard that tone every time he came home from school. "Of course, I did! And guess what! I beat the entrance exam! I'm going to Duel Academy! Alright!" He flashed her his trademark hand sign.

The nanny already knew, but acted excited for him as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders to pull him close, "That's amazing! I knew you could do it! I knew you wouldn't let my reservation at the best shrimp restaurant in Domino City be for nothing!"

"Really?! The best shrimp restaurant in town?!" The brunet's eyes turned into stars and his mouth was already watering.

"You bet! Let's go eat to our hearts content, and you can tell me all about it!"

"That sounds like a plan! But first, I have to say that I couldn't have done it without you, nanny Shani. No offense to my last nannies, but you're the best I ever had! You helped me a lot after I moved away from my hometown, and I was too shy to make new friends for some reason. I would've been a hopeless kid without you." Jaden flashed her a truly grateful smile that Crimson happily returned back.

"I just know how important friendships are, so make sure to always remember, Jaden, to never abandon your new friends at this academy. Alright?" She gave him a playful wink.

Jaden returned it. "You bet. You have nothing to worry about. I already met this guy with funny looking blue hair with glasses."

Crimson snickered at the insult at her reincarnated step-papa.

._._._.

Chazz went back home where he found his brothers at the dining table. It was dinner time, and he took his seat in a very respectable manner that Jagger and Slade would've laughed at if the act wasn't caused by a tragic reason.

"So how was the entrance exams? See anyone worth your time?" Jagger questioned with a business tone.

Chazz answered in kind, "No. All the new duelists were lame. Especially, the little brother of the kaiser of Duel Academy. What a joke."

"Are you sure there wasn't any competition?" Slade questioned. Did Jaden actually miss his duel? He's been informed by Crimson during small talk that the boy had the bad habit of arriving late to school even when she would usher him into the bus.

Chazz hesitated as his thoughts loudly whispered, _"...Jaden..."_ It echoed softly like a lullaby, yet he sternly replied to his brothers, "I'm sure."

His brothers became concern that they called Crimson the next day to ask if Jaden arrived. She told them that he did, and that Chazz must be experiencing confusion because he knows that Jaden is important, but his brain won't tell him why.

They began questioning of whether this was a good choice after all. They let a coin decide their brother's fate when they knew that they should've known better. They demanded a meeting, and Seto actually had one prepared, except only the three of them, Joey, and Crimson were present.

"We were honestly hoping that Chazz would not remember this Jaden boy at all." Slade told them. "I know we already decided on Duel Academy, but Chazz is still too sensitive to be around Jaden. He could break down at any moment." After the nightmare they went through to have Chazz at least act normal and not on the verge of suicide, they didn't want to go through that again.

"I understand your concern, Slade." Seto told him with his professional tone, "But something happened at the same time Chazz saw Jaden." He opened his laptop on the table and showed the brothers a video tape that recorded the glass pieces, and one of them flickered with a light for a second.

"Did...Did that just..." They were speechless.

"You see the time, don't you. It was the exact same moment that Chazz saw Jaden duel. Our Chazz experienced a flicker of love in his heart, but the glass piece is lifeless again."

Joey spoke, "We decided to take this risk becuz fate pretty much was dead set on it with my quarter, and if we truly want Chazz to be happy, we need to take these risks. And don't worry. We already have someone at the academy to watch over Chazz for us behind the scenes."

"It's not going to be you?" Jagger looked to Crimson.

The immortal female shook her head. "If it was me, I would interfere with everything that might happen to my mom. The three of us agreed that despite anything that might happen, we won't interfere. Just like what my grandmother said at the last meeting, nothing at this duel academy could be worse than the war, so whatever my mom goes through, she needs to find the strength to fight by herself if we ever want her to come back to us."

The Princeton lovers looked at each other. They were once Chazz's parents in the past life, but they weren't around when Jun had to go through a drastic transition in her life. They were here now, and they had to make a choice. They wanted Chazz safe, but in doing so, they were keeping Chazz within a darkness filled with no love. Absolutely nothing could be worse than that. They silently nodded in agreement.

"We will leave Chazz in the care of Duel Academy."

._._._.

 **Episode 2**

Chazz arrived at Duel Academy where the one major was dueling, but there were minors as well in arts, literature, science and other subjects just in case graduates didn't want or couldn't achieve becoming a pro-duelist after spending three years on this island.

Chazz wondered across the halls of the Academy just to do something as he tried to fight the fight against the lethargy that tried to effect his spine like a virus, and not only destroy his mobility, but also his motivations. He kept telling himself that he was there to train to become the best duelist for his brothers, so they could rule the world together!

 _"You are important. You have a purpose to serve. Your brothers are expecting you to win, and win, and win, AND WIN! Nothing else! You have to show everyone who's boss! You can't falter! You can't crumble. YOU. CAN. NOT. LOSE."_

Chazz chanted this in his mind, and then found himself sitting at the Obelisk Blue duel arena. He went inside, and took a seat to stare at the arena that he would be dueling often on, and proving that he was the best duelist. Soon, his lackeys found him, but he just told them to buzz off, so he could think. He then began thinking about a strange haired brunet. Then suddenly like a returning echo in his mind, he heard, _"Jaden..."_

Then just like magic, the boy appeared wearing a Slifer uniform. Chazz was shocked when one of his lackeys told him he was here. He composed himself before standing from his seat. Just as he was trained to act, he acted like a snob who challenged this lucky punk to a duel to see whether he was skillful or lucky. He just had to duel him. He just knew it, but then Alexis appeared and reminded them that their welcoming dinner was happening. He knew he shouldn't act desperate to duel, so he left, but after the dinner, he called him out. His lackeys caught him leaving the dorm, and wanted to come. He told them that they could tag along if they wanted to. He didn't care.

When Jaden appeared just as he thought, he felt that painful burning torch in his chest. His ribs masochistically liking the painful tease now. The two wagered over their best cards, and also to see who was going to be the next king of games.

They dueled without anyone important watching Chazz. There was no one to rank his skills and report to his brothers about it. And this Slifer was strangely enjoying himself even when the odds were obviously against him. This was a duel for fun, and it did feel...fun.

Seto was working late as usual with the video screen of the glass pieces on his laptop. He didn't miss the flickering of light coming from one of the pieces. It was flickering uncontrollably for over ten minutes, but then it ended suddenly.

The duel between Chazz and Jaden had to come to an end before it finished, and he left believing he had won that duel.

Syrus and Jaden knew differently as they walked back to their dorm.

"I guess your sense of smell for duel action was right when it bought you into that obelisk duel arena. You just had your very first duel here with the Obelisk student, Chazz Princeton! And he was pretty good. I just hope that I don't have to face him in the future." Syrus said.

"Yeah, it was pretty sweet dueling him! I can't wait to duel him again, and other strong duelists!" Jaden was truly excited to duel other people, and nothing else. He had absolutely no idea that Chazz used to be his Renee, and that he was hers.

Chazz's heart knew, but his mind completely smothered the memories. It was troubling to sleep at night because his mind was full of this Slifer, and this feeling of 'fun'. He was too confused by this feeling among other feelings that this Slifer stirred inside him. He had to take one of his medications to get him sleeping that night, and the next few nights later.

 _Song: Fondu Au Noir - Coeur de pirate_

._._._.

 **Episode 4**

The next few days, Chazz put a majority of his concentration in attending classes, studying, and doing his homework. He always had straight A's in everything. He had to have straight A's in everything. This was important to him. It was important to his brothers. He needed to be the top duelist of this academy, and wipe the floors with other top duelists such as Zane Truesdale.

He had to win, so he could rule the world with his brothers. He had to.

He hadn't let himself think about Jaden since that night, and didn't want to get near him since there was no point at all anymore. Plus, he began to feel pretty annoyed when that Slifer couldn't help being noisy during tests.

But then on the day when the new cards arrived, Crowler gave all of them to him to beat the Slifer. Chazz didn't really care what Crowler was aiming at, and wanted to avoid Jaden, but then, he saw the XYZ Dragon Cannon card in his coat, and he just had to have them. Seto Kaiba used those cards in his deck. He admired that duelist, and using that combo would give him a feel of greatness.

He figured that he could just follow along, and win another duel against the brunet. However, he lost.

He lost and it hurt. He fell to his knees as it throbbed as if he was attacked by Avian for real. He promised to beat this slacker another day, and then quickly left the place without his lackeys catching up to him, and ran deep into the forest to get away from everyone. He eventually stopped when his legs could run no more, and his heart began to ache worse. "I-It hurts...It hurts!" He clenched the fabric over his chest as he dropped to the ground on his hands and knees. His chest hurt so badly after losing that duel!

Was this because he lost that duel? Was it because it revealed how much of a failure he was? Back in Duel Prep school, he had tutors hold his hand, and now that he was on his own on this island, he was actually a loser?!

"I can't do anything by myself then?! Not like my brothers who exceed at what they do? Always winning elections and being a genius of mathematics, they have the world at their fingertips, and I don't?" He looked down at his dirtied fingers. His anger becoming a more soft yet dangerous feeling. "I don't." He tried to hold back the hot tears in his eyes, but like how cruel life was, they poured down his face to make a mess of his appearance, so it could reveal the loser he truly was. His mind rewinded the moment he lost against Jaden. He wanted his mind to stop, but it kept rewinding and rewinding and rewinding just as his chest got tighter and tighter and tighter. "I'm sorry." He sobbed. "I'm sorry for being worthless."

When the news of the lost got to Seto Kaiba, Crimson was present when he did. "My mom lost to my dad?" She found that unbelievable because she remembered the duel she ever saw them have, and her mother won. But then again, that was when Light and Darkness Dragon was with her. "Is she alright?!"

"According to our informant, he experienced a breakdown in the middle of the forest, and cried until he fell asleep against a tree. She bought him back to his dorm without anyone seeing them. He got a fever from crying as hard as he did, but he will be fine after he rested."

Crimson was relieved, but also thought of something that sounded cruel to her. "It's ironic though."

Seto knew what she was talking about. "It is when the duel monster who did most of the work to defeat Chazz was his past incarnation's very own creation who was made out of her love for Jaden's own. Now that duel monster was used to defeat Chazz."

Crimson nodded sadly, and chuckled, "I...really, really, really want to interfere, but you said my mom's glass piece flickered when she first dueled my dad. What about this time?"

"It did happen again, but after Chazz lost, it went dead again."

"That's good to hear. I hope she gets better."

"She won't." Seto changed his pronoun usage. "Not for awhile. She will act like she is, but she will be plagued by that loss. But you can't make a diamond without being put under pressure."

"Did you tell Slade and Jagger?"

"I did, and they will wait for Chazz to contact them since they don't want to barge in and put more pressure on him than necessary."

"That's also good to hear. I'm sure he'll call."

._._._.

 **Episode 10-12**

Chazz had calmed down within the week after losing to Jaden, and focused on studying and doing his school work again. He had taken his medication and used the various methods that he was taught to remain calm. However, he still felt restless because he lost to Jaden, but that only meant that it was 1-to-1, and they needed to break the score to truly prove who was the loser! When he heard about the tag-duel, he asked Crowler to let him be an opponent. He didn't care with who. They would only be a handicap to him like Syrus was going to be for Jaden.

However, Crowler already had the Paradox Brothers set to duel them. Chazz was not happy with the decision, but perhaps having Jaden getting expelled would be a better outcome. He desired nothing more than Jaden getting out of his life, that he felt a malicious glee when the duel happened, and it looked like the Slifer duo was going to bite the dust. But to his frustrated annoyance, they won again.

This couldn't get anymore worse until the next week when Chazz found his seat changed, and he was suddenly being made to duel Bastion by Crowler. If he were to lose, then he would be switched to the Ra dorm. He was in utter shock, and he felt a flood of pain in his chest. He worked so hard. SO DAMN HARD! Going through endless lessons, doing endless acts of being confident to his peers, and facing the endless stress and anxiety to impress his brothers who achieved greatness while always staying on top! They never regressed downward! NEVER!

He ran out of that class after everyone burst out laughing at him.

"I WON'T BECOME A RA YELLOW!"

He ran into the woods again, and he remembered doing this before, but the memories were blurry. The only thing that he could clearly remember was the pain in his chest. He tried to fight this pain inside him. He wanted to call his brothers. He wanted them to scold him and tell him what to do! He needed them to subdue this pain inside him! He knew he could do it if he went back to his dorm. He just needed to move his legs. He just needed to move them, and he'll be there.

But his legs wouldn't move. His motivation was diminishing. He lost to Jaden. How could he win against someone with actual brains? He can't. He can't win because he's now alone.

"I'm worthless when I'm alone."

He confessed with a monotonous voice as he lied his back against a tree. His hand holding his arm as if he was wounded. "I'm nothing in this Academy like I've always been in my life. I have no purpose..." Tears slipped down again.

He didn't know how long he laid against that tree as his senses were shrouded by a numbness that felt almost familiar. His legs then began moving on there own, and they found a cliff. Chazz couldn't see the rushing waves or sharp rocks from down below because his tears blurred his vision. That was okay. He didn't need to see where he was stepping because in the end, it'll bring him to a fall.

"I rather die, then become a Ra Yellow."

He took a step forward.

"Princeton?" Zane was just taking a stroll and the cliff that Chazz was standing at wasn't far from the Obelisk dorm. He saw Chazz leaning forward dangerously. "Wait! Stop!" He grabbed the teen and pulled him back.

White light suddenly blinded Zane's vision as he could hear the loving voices of two females.

 _"Ryo...I came to see you because I've missed you for so long. You've always been a great inspiration to me, and I've loved you since you declared to always protect me and my kingdom. You've done a marvelous job at both."_

 _"Please...I haven't protected you at all, my princess."_

 _"But you have protected me. Maybe not physically, but your hard work ethic and love had always protected me from fully succumbing to my weaknesses._ _I became a general with the hope to be able to protect and inspire those I love just like you, and just as I will always be your princess, you will always be my one true knight no matter what you say to contradict that. I just needed you to know that before I come back, and help the new general protect this kingdom with honor and your blessing! I won't let you down!"_

 _"Then I will give you my blessing."*_

The light disappeared, and it was so sudden and confusing that Zane just ignored it since he believed it had nothing to do with him. Plus, he had something far more important to focus on. "What in the world were you thinking?!" He questioned with angered shock, and then gasped when the insane teen faced him.

Chazz's face was streaked with tears, and there were still more to come as water billowed in his puffy and reddened grey eyes. Those eyes looked so lonely by a deep despondency that Zane could feel the torture it was putting Chazz through.

He clearly saw his face, but Chazz couldn't see his. All he could feel was the warmth of this stranger's hands on his arms that sent an electric current to his heart, and it leaped for more. It took the chance to gain this warmth without the brain interfering.

"Chazz...You-Mmph!" Zane was caught by a spontaneous kiss by the first year. The contact was soft and hot. Zane knew that Chazz was probably in need of comfort in anyway it could be provided. He let Chazz kiss him, and he had to admit that the younger male wasn't half bad. He waited until the younger teen finally leaned away.

"Chazz?" Zane called out to him with his first name to appear as if he was a caring friend. "What's wrong?"

"I..." His eyes widened, and from the looks of it, Zane thought time stopped within them. The teen suddenly collapsed on him unconsciously. He didn't understand what just happened.

Then someone came out, and said, "I should bring him back to his room."

Zane looked at the stranger to see a female teenager with electric lavender hair, golden bronze skin, and fine brandy upturned eyes. She appeared to be a student since she wore the female obelisk uniform with the jacket open since it must be too tight for her two-hundred pound curves.

"Are you a friend of his?"

"I was hired by his brothers to watch over him. I was going to get him, but you came out of nowhere. Can't say I'm upset. My lips are reserved for guys with green hair." She spoke with a confident, half serious-half carefree tone.

"I didn't mean to kiss him."

"No shizz. He was vulnerable, and you were convenient." She took Chazz from his arms, and carried him like a sack of potatoes over her shoulder. "Anyway, don't expect him to remember this happening. His brain will only block this out, and he'll act like he didn't just kiss you like those dramatic romance movies. Also, I took a picture of it as blackmail because I can't have you telling anyone about this."

Zane couldn't believe that. Someone almost died! He demanded an answer as he questioned, "What? Why? Chazz just nearly committed suicide! Is Chancellor Sheppard aware of this?"

"No. Chazz's brothers want their little brother to be treated as if he doesn't has this problem. If the Chancellor knows, then no doubt the whole school will know. He has terrible security. It wasn't hard to get the film of Chazz and Jaden dueling illegally after class hours. And I have footage of Alexis and you going against school rules, too. If you don't mind risking your butt, then think about that Alexis girl. She made too many secret violations while trying to find her brother for a duel to let it slide." The watcher threatened.

Zane felt compelled to argue against her, but his reasonable mind told him that it would be a waste of time. He also didn't want Alexis to be hurt by this, and this had nothing to do with him personally. This girl was watching over Chazz, and would've saved him if he hadn't appeared. He still felt reluctant to say, "...I understand. Will he truly forget all this?"

"It's a habit of his when his emotions get too high." She began walking towards the dorm. "Just don't try to talk to him about it the next time you see him. He might get violent because a part of him wants to remember, but his brain doesn't want to. This guy has been through something that made him have to cope with life like this."

Zane watched her walk away with Chazz over her shoulder. He knew going to Chancellor Sheppard about this was the right thing to do, but if Chazz's suicidal depression does get leaked, it could only make it worse for the teen. Plus what the girl said sounded like there was more to this than he could ever imagine, so he had no right to decide what was best for Chazz.

With that in mind, he walked away before realizing that he hadn't asked for her name. He also didn't bother thinking about the voices he heard since there was no point making sense to nonsense.

._._._.

Chazz woke up at his bed, and saw by his clock that it was still today. Before he let himself think, he took his medication, and then remembered what Crowler told him. He felt his chest hurt, so hurried to video chat with his brothers. He was relieved to see them, and told them about what happened. Slade and Jagger felt their heart break by his defeated expression. They wanted to comfort him with loving, supportive words, but what Chazz truly needed was pain from the pressure they put in him in order to subdue the real one.

They pushed him to do the job he made them give him before leaving him to his thoughts. They hoped the watcher that Kaiba hired would pull through to protect their brother.

Chazz's watcher did watch over him, and witnessed him taking Bastion's deck while the Ra yellow student was sleeping at the red dorm with Jaden. She knew this was a bad move, but she was given strict orders to not interfere with any of his decisions whether they were good or bad unless he was doing physical self harm to himself.

She watched from the shadows as he just stood near the water at the docks. The deck was held against the lithe boy who was wavering with his conscience.

He truly believed that he couldn't beat Bastion. He was a genius, and Chazz was only average. While Bastion can remember a ton of equations, Chazz needed a cheat sheet. Once he became a Ra yellow, he was a disgrace. He needed to throw away this deck, so the duel cannot happen. Then, he didn't have to become an embarrassment to the Princeton name.

He looked down at the cards, and his brain cried out to him to throw it, but he heart told him not to.

His brain yelled that if he didn't want to be in pain again, he had to do what was necessary! If he didn't want to disappoint his brothers, he had to throw those cards away!

His heart pleaded for Chazz not to do it! A person's deck was a part of a person's soul! These cards were precious to the duelist, and to throw them was beyond low for himself! Losing with dignity was better than winning with none!

His brain and heart battled within Chazz's conscience, and it was the brain who yielded. Chazz's resolve to throw them remained just as weak as the moment he took them. He couldn't do it. He couldn't throw them away. Cards were just tools, but deep inside Chazz, he knew that wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

After coming to that decision, his body felt ill. He placed the deck on the ground as he huddled his body that was now having a battle of whether the decision was right or not. Each explosion set by the opposing side tore pieces after pieces of him from within him. Then out of nowhere, there was a gust of wind powerful enough to blow Bastion's deck into the water.

"AH! NO!" Chazz was about to dive in, but he was caught from behind.

"Don't bother. If it was fresh water, it'd be okay, but that's salt water you're messing with. Those cards are pointless now." The electric lavender haired girl told him.

"But I didn't mean to do that! I didn't-" He struggled to get in, but he held him until he gave up once common sense settled in him.

"I know." She let him go, and then turned away to leave. "And by the water current, they'll still be floating here for the store lady to see. Besides, I know that this Bastion guy has plenty of decks anyway. You'll still duel him tomorrow, so if you do feel guilty, then face him like a true duelist, and if you do lose, just leave Duel Academy, and go to another one. As long as you restart, you'll do better."

"Restart..." Chazz felt that word gave him a short cut to his problems. He can restart. He can. He looked down at the cards soaked in the salt water, and whispered, "I'm sorry." And then ran back to his dorm to prepare for tomorrow's duel, and take his pills to sleep.

Unknown to him that Alexis just caught him run away. She went down and saw the cards that floated in the water. She was shocked, but not surprised. Chazz never did show a decent side to him, and this proved it.

The next morning, she headed toward the duel arena where Chazz and Bastion was to duel. Zane saw her, and how angry she was. She caught up with her and asked of what was wrong.

"Oh hey, Zane. You wouldn't believe this. Last night, I saw Chazz throw Bastion's deck into the water at the docks!"

"What?" The obelisk student was astounded. He remembered clearly saving Chazz from committing suicide late that afternoon, and now that he couldn't kill himself, he would resort to this? What was his watcher doing when this happened? What was wrong with Chazz?

"I know right! I get it that he likes to act like a snob because he thinks he's better than everyone, but to do this, even as a practical joke, is going way too far! I'm not one to snitch, but nobody should mess with someone's deck like that. Right, Zane?" Alexis was truly mad that such an offense was made.

Zane agreed, and decided to follow her to the duel arena. On their way, he felt compelled to inquire, "I have to ask, did Chazz look like he was going to jump into the water before he threw the cards in."

The female obelisk found that to be an odd question. "Uhm...not that I know. I didn't actually catch him throw the cards in the water, but he ran away right from where the floating cards were, and he was the only one there. It's not hard to put two-in-two together. Why do you ask?"

"Benefit of the doubt, I suppose." He lied. He was actually wondering if Chazz was planning to drown himself. He seemed to not bother planning his suicides like others would. which was only more dangerous.

"Hmph. With Chazz, I don't think he deserves any benefits as far as I'm aware."

The two arrived at the duel arena just in time to reveal what Alexis saw.

Chazz was shocked that he was caught, but Alexis obviously didn't know the full truth. That upset him since he didn't mean to ruin them, but he supposed that was what he deserved. He denied to tell the truth, but denied the accusations to play the role of the villain. He dueled the best he could, but Bastion was better. He was washed away like the cards that he threw away. His chest hurt again, and to add the topping to it, he claimed that Bastion just got lucky before the Ra Yellow revealed the final piece of evidence to declare him the criminal that he was.

His whole body was in pain, but he soothed himself by remembering that everything is over now. He can restart now.

 _Song: Only for you - Tatsuya Kato from Free!_

Chazz left the place while Bastion and Jaden had their stare down. He went to his dorm where his stuff was already packed up, but the boat won't arrive until tomorrow. He just stood at his room, and felt nothing. He knew that if he was being watched, he should smash something and yell and blame someone else, but the truth was that he just wanted everything to end so everyone else would stop being burdened by him. He believed that every second he was alive, he breathed air that should've been breathed by someone who deserved it.

Outside of his room, the brandy-eyed girl leaned against his door with her arms crossed. She had disguised herself as a male student, so no one that passed by bothered her. Zane walked up to her. Chazz and him shared the same dorm, so it was easy for him to come to the ravenet's room without being caught.

"I heard of what Chazz did to Bastion's cards. I don't know Chazz well, but I do know that he needs help, and I don't like how you're helping him unless the card incident was an accident."

The girl gave him a half-lidded, blank face. "Does it matter if it was an accident or not?"

"Of course it matters. I firmly believe that-"

"Leave then." She ordered.

"What?" Zane was taken aback by this rudeness.

"Leave." She said a little louder. "You already know that dueling can't fix Chazz, so why are you here? Did you come here to preach, or did you come here to help? Does it matter whether he did something you disagree with? Do you think that Chazz doesn't already know what he did? He may or may not have done it on purpose, but you know he's in a lot of pain, and right now, all you care about is whether he's worth your so-called kindness. You two are not friends, so you have no right to come here and judge and criticize him, especially in this situation."

The Kaiser was silent. He hadn't been scolded in years since he hadn't done anything worth being scolded about. And this girl was right. He had come here wondering of whether Chazz was worth helping because he didn't know the situation. If Chazz actually thrown the cards on purpose, Zane believed he would've came into that room scolding him, and thinking his own words could set him on the right track. But that was conceited to think. If he was a friend and if this had happened to any of his friends, he would've gone in still with a scolding mood, but knowing whether he should be delicate or not.

After saving Chazz from doing a mistake, he let himself believe that he had the power to control the situation. Even if it was out of good intentions, he was running into a land mine like a brave idiot holding a flag symbolizing his misguided pride.

Realizing his mistake, he rightfully apologized, "I'm sorry. You're right. I am not Chazz's friend, and I came here thinking I could do something about it through setting him right, but the truth is, I don't know what is right for him. I don't actually know if he did throw those cards in the water or not, but that isn't what is important. I shouldn't be the one talking. I should be the one listening to him."

The girl observed this stolid man to see nothing mischievous, and nodded. She moved away from the door and walked away.

He took his chance and knocked on the door. "Chazz..." He called out. "It's Zane. May I come in?"

Chazz didn't do anything. He just continued to stand where he was. He knew he should go get the door, but what was the point? Zane would be wasting his time talking to him. He already wasted enough time walking to his room.

Zane sighed, and said, "I'm coming in." He opened the door to find it unlocked, and as he entered, he saw Chazz just standing in the middle of his room with his luggage already packed on the sofa. The younger obelisk student wouldn't be this eager to pack for the Ra dorm, so this meant something else. "You're leaving?"

"...Yes." Chazz answered with a light, non-scratchy voice that sounded as if he smoked too many cigarettes. He then cleared his throat and spoke with his regular voice, "What are you doing here? Are you here to lecture me?"

"No. I only came to see how you are taking to losing to Bastion." Zane placed a comforting hand on Chazz's shoulder, and had him look at him. There it was again. Dulled grey eyes filled with loneliness. And just a second ago, he acted so snobbish and angry with a hard shell, but this Chazz was lonely and delicate as if he was made of glass. "Are you alright?"

The ravenet looked away, and let go of that scratchy voice to speak with a more feminine one. He just didn't care anymore. "Don't bother with me, Zane." He shrugged off his hand, and turned away. "You don't know me. This is the first time we even talked. Why do you care so suddenly?"

Zane wanted to tell him about saving him from committing a mistake, but he didn't want to get pushed out of the room early. Instead he honestly said, "I just know when I see a good duelist who hasn't been dueling for himself. You have immense potential, Chazz, but something is preventing you from tapping into that, and I want to rid of it to see the real duelist you are. Duel Academy will lose a valuable player if you were to leave." The Kaiser did believe that, and he feared for Chazz's well being.

"A valuable player? What valuable player?! You know I threw those cards into the ocean!" Chazz felt his subdued anger rise against the gravity inside him. "I am what Bastion called me! I am a liar! A cheat!" He turned around and pushed at Zane's chest in a way that begged to be hit back but harder! "I am just scum that tried to put up a brave front when at truth I feel nothing! I am nothing! I have no purpose if I don't win! But all you see is all my potential is! NOTHING!"

Zane took a hold of his wrists to stop the shoving. He held Chazz in his arms to comfort him, but the teen punched and kicked away from his embrace.

"Stop that! It only hurts more! It only makes my chest feel worse! Don't care for me!" He begged with a pained contorted face that pleaded for everything to leave him alone no matter how much in pain he was. His eyes showed an instability, and he knew it so closed them away from the world. "Don't love me!" He spoke with a voice of fear as if loving him was a curse. "I can't do it! I can't return it!" Chazz broke down in tears.

The older Obelisk was at a lost of what to do. He just knew that he couldn't leave Chazz alone, or else he might do something to himself in this room.

"Chazz..." He then remembered a list of instructions that Atticus once showed him of what to do with a sad person when the playboy was mindlessly surfing the internet*.

Zane took the blanket from the bed and laid it out on the clean floor. He picked up Chazz and placed him on it.

"Wha-what are you doing?!"

"Don't concentrate on me. Just on yourself." He instructed since it seemed that Chazz focusing on him only made the younger teen feel insecure. He rolled him up like a sushi, and then placed him on the couch. Chazz's arms and legs were trapped in the blanket so he could hit Zane or escape.

There was already a fridge in the room, and it was still fully stocked, and the flat screen tv was still working. Zane laid out some snacks and bottles of water on the coffee table before turning on the television to play the Battle City Duel between Seto and Yugi. Every duelist loved watching the duel.

While it played, he fed Chazz some snacks like a baby, and put a straw in the bottle to get him hydrated while he cried.

"Why are you doing this?" the sushied teen asked. He felt ridiculous, but he wasn't as depressed as he was before.

"I'm just a good samaritan. This has nothing to do with me, and I'm not doing it for you personally. Just get better." The good samaritan said and saw that Chazz was about to think heavily on his actions, so he stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth that accidentally got stuck in Chazz's throat, so he forced water inside to let it go down. Zane remembered doing this to Atticus before when he did something Zane really did not like. He was a very patient person, but even he had his limits.

Chazz coughed roughly, and yelled angrily, "Why the hell did you do that?! I could've choked on it!"

"Sorry. I was acting like a good samaritan." Zane let out an evil chuckle under his breath. His season 2 personality briefly revealing itself.

"Good samaritan, my ass! If I wasn't wrapped like this, I would've clocked ya! Like this!" Chazz swung his head and butted it into Zane's chin. The kaiser held his pained jaw.

"I supposed I did deserve that." Zane rubbed his swore jaw, and smiled at Chazz. Happy that he was feeling better.

Chazz saw his smile, and blushed. His heart feeling a nice glow in them. This feeling felt really nice, but a little too nice that it felt too good to be true. He looked away from Zane shyly.

 _"What...What is this feeling in my chest? Am I...Is this...happiness?"_ The teen wondered. He knew a word like happiness existed, and he believed in his confabulated memories that he never felt this feeling. But with Zane...After doing this for him when he really didn't have to made Chazz feel a very light feeling that warmed him. When both his brain and heart agreed for the first time, he wasn't scared of this feeling.

The feeling of happiness was the feeling of being in a fortunate situation.

The situation could be terrible such as Chazz battling with himself, but he felt fortunate that someone like Zane who didn't know him and asked for nothing in return made him feel safe to feel something good no matter how little it was.

He felt his lips form a delicate curve that felt so nice on his face. He lied his head on Zane's shoulder, and whispered, "Thank you."

 _Song: Safe and Sound - Taylor swift ft. Civil Wars from the Hunger games covered by Me vs Gravity_

._._._.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Crimson hollered, and was bouncing all around the meeting room with all the adults present. "It's lit! It's lit! Holy f***ery Fu** Fu** on a Fu** Stick! One of the glass pieces is glowing! It's dim, but it's glowing! Yes! Yes! Yes! Who! Who did it!"

Critias answered, "Apparently the reincarnation of Ryo. The general who protected the Light and Darkness Kingdom, and was Jun's inspiration to become a knight. The watcher informed my reincarnation here that Zane saved Chazz from committing suicide after our Chazz was told that he was to become a Ra Yellow if he were to lose a duel to Bastion. The pressure and loneliness without his brothers there must have gotten to him. Zane saved him again after Chazz lost the duel. He helped him distract himself from his painful feelings. It didn't hurt Chazz to be taken care of like this because Zane isn't a close loved one like the rest of us."

"It might also have something to do with him being the reincarnation of Ryo." Hermos said. "The piece that lit up must be the one that Jun gave away to Shu."

"Oh, so if we want a second one to glow, we need someone from my second mom's (Jaswinder) life!" Crimson taught long and hard of anyone from Jaswinder's past, but she became blank. "Maybe, my third (Xiaoling)..." The dragon woman couldn't think of anyone outside of this meeting room. Her mothers weren't antisocial, but they haven't made a deep connection with anyone like her first mom did with Ryo. "Maybe they'll glow with the ones who Jun loves all the way!"

However, Mokuba gave her the unfortunate news, "Sorry Crimson, but we were also informed that our Chazz already told the chancellor that he was leaving. Surprisingly, he decided by himself that he'll be heading to North Academy."

"What?! Really! Noooo! We were doing such great progress in just two weeks!" The red head really, really, really wanted to interfere with this decision, but she took an oath.

Yugi confidently told her, "Don't give up hope, Crimson. I think Chazz will be back in Duel Academy in no time. There is the annual duel after all."

That made the dragon brighten up! "That's right! It can still happen!"

"Though that's over three months away." The Light pointed out, and grinned when she watched her granddaughter deflate again.

Everyone could help snickering by how endearingly comical she was.

._._._.

 **Episode 13**

Chazz felt like he was in a better mood than he was these last two weeks now that he was leaving Duel Academy after the place dared to demote and laugh at him. He went towards the docks where a boat was waiting for him. He doubted anyone would be coming to look for him.

"What? No goodbye. I said I was not expecting anything from you, but a farewell would've been nice." Zane kid as he walked over to Chazz.

"Zane." Chazz used his feminine voice, but then cleared his throat and used his masculine one, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't a top student like you be in class?"

"Saying goodbye to you is more important." The bluenet replied with no flirtatiousness in his voice.

Those words made the younger ravenet feel the soft, safe glow of happiness in his chest again. His eyes that tried to remain sharp and intimidating relented a little to reveal a glimmer in them.

He spoke with his natural voice that sounded feminine but deep enough to sound masculine as well, "Bye Zane. Once I'm in the pro leagues, I'm going to mop the floors with you, so you better watch out." He promised.

Zane chuckled. "I look forward to it, but if you ever do decide to come back to Duel Academy before I graduate, I'll welcome you with open arms. Here's my number if you ever need someone to call, but text first because I may be busy, but I will reply to you as soon as I can." He handed the pale teen a folded piece of paper.

Chazz felt the glow in his chest hurt a little by the kindness, but it was small and the good kind. "Yeah, not happening." He determined, but he put the folded paper in his pocket. Then his gaze dropped to the ground in a guilty manner. "Also...Don't tell the others this because it'll ruin my image as a jerk, but I didn't throw Bastion's cards in the water on purpose. I was planning on doing it, and that's why I was at the docks, but I realized that what I was doing was stupid. I only set them on the ground for a second, and a gust of wind blew them in the water! Can you believe that!"

Zane was surprised by the confession, but then he smiled. He was glad to hear that it was an accident after all. Chazz was a good duelist after all. "I'm glad to hear that, and I promise not to tell the others, so your bad boy image doesn't get ruined." He couldn't anyway since that would lead to other questions that he wasn't allowed to answer.

Chazz was relieved to hear his promise. "Thanks Zane. You're the best." He felt like he should do something else to show his appreciation, but he wasn't sure what. Zane knew exactly what he needed, and pulled Chazz into a hug.

"Take care." The older obelisk told him with a pat on the back.

"Please, who do you take me for?" He backed away to point a confident thumb at himself. "I'm Chazz Princeton. I can take care of myself like nobody's business!" He got into his boat.

Zane then noticed that no one else was in it. "You're driving the boat by yourself?" He became worried because if Chazz had an episode out in the ocean, it was easy to make what he might plan to do look like an accident, and finding the body wouldn't be easy at all.

"Hm? Yeah so? I have a boating license." The rich kid said that as if it was natural for everyone to have a boating license.

Zane wanted to stop him, but the female watcher appeared like Batman. "It's okay, Zane. If anything happens, help will be nearby." She assured the spooked individual, though he acted like he wasn't. She waved her hand at the departing teen. "Bye Chazz."

He turned his head to face her, and he gazed at her with a look of familiarity. He gave her a soft smile and kindly replied, "Bye Vivian. Thank you for everything." He turned away and sped off. Crimson was watching over him in secret.

Zane walked away to get back to his next class.

Vivian dropped her hand, and stared at where Chazz went with wide eyes. "How...How did you know my name when we haven't seen each other since elementary?" She questioned.

Chazz sailed across the waters while in his mind, he began faintly remembering names and faces, but he didn't know their significance. Only that he felt happy remembering them.

 _Song: Gone Gone Gone - Phillip Phillips_

._._._.

A/N: So Zane gave back Chazz's ability to feel happy. I chose Zane to do this because he was more convenient to use since in my version of him, he is the reincarnation of Ryo, he is more logical, he can keep secrets, he does take action when something is wrong, but without getting everyone involved, and I believe he can make a person feel safe and calm in his arms. And that's a good start to getting some light back in Chazz.

*Yugioh Movie: Bonds Beyond Time

*That flashback came from Chapter 7 with edits

*These are real instructions that can be found

Thank you **Guests** for your reviews! I'm sure there is at least three or four of you, I think. I'm glad that you guys enjoy my story, and sorry about the 'love me' part. It was to show the psychological torture that Chazz went through. But maybe I did go overboard by that...And when you typed 'yvel', did you mean Yubel or Levy. Don't want to make any assumptions here.


	14. Chapter 14

**Episode 24**

In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Chazz accidentally crashed his speed boat, and was now left stranded in a foggy area with no cellphone reception nearby. Crimson and the Light watched him sit there since they were curious to see if his new found emotion would prevent him from suicidal thoughts. So far all they heard was him blaming other people for his mistakes, but when he thought about Zane, he would have a soft smile on his lips.

"From what I can sense, it feels like Chazz can be happy again." The Light pointed out.

Crimson also sensed it. "And the opposite of happiness is sadness, so now that my mom can feel happy, she doesn't get too depressed to the point of suicide. She'll still feel depressed, no helping that except for medication, and it looks like she does have some anger issues to work with." She said all serious-like, and then growled, "I'm happy for her, but why did it have to be Zane! Not that I don't like him. Aunt Ryo is the best! But she should be thinking about my dad! Oh, I know! I'll make her think of him!"

The Light snorted, "Trying to mentally manipulate your mother, I see."

Crimson flinched at being called out on. She defended herself, "But my mom will definitely fall for Zane! And my mom's amazing, so he'll fall for her, too! Besides, do you know how many hearts that guy broke by doing nothing, but be perfect apparently! Plus, I raised my dad, and he's definitely more suited for my mom!"

"Oh don't worry! I'm just so proud that your taking after me and manipulating people's minds for your own gain! Now go on! Make me proud!" The Light hugged her granddaughter tightly that the poor dragon girl felt the air knocked out of her.

Crimson quickly realized the error of her ways. "I change my mind! I don't want to be like you!"

"Oh honey, please. I don't brainwash people with sweet reasons like yours. Here, I'll do it." The Light began making Chazz see hallucinations of Jaden that led to him falling into the water. She burst out laughing while Crimson cried out for her mom. "Don't worry, Crimson! The North Academy Chancellor will get him. He's been watching our Chazz with us remember."

"But you shouldn't have done that!" The red head scolded her and then moaned since she knew it was also her fault.

Chazz was rescued by Chancellor Foster, and that led to him meeting Ojama Yellow who got close to him because the duel monster's extremely good eyes could see a dull, interesting spark coming from him.

After a brief talk, Chazz was sent flying to North Academy's glaciers. He then found himself given the trial of collecting forty cards across the dangerous island. Crimson and the Light watched him climb cliffs, punch ice to get the cards in there, swim through freezing water, run away from polar bears and vampire bats, and doing all of this without any proper clothing or climbing equipment.

"Oh wow, Uncle Joey did my mom good with his training." Crimson watched her mother in awe. "Her swimming speed is impressive for her average human body, so she doesn't stay in the water too long to freeze, and she knows the proper breathing techniques to keep her body warm enough to keep moving. She can also pack quite a punch with those fists without bruising them or leaving them frost bitten. And because she had problems with eating properly in the past, she knows how to subdue her hunger, and not let it stop her."

"It's also impressive because the other students in this school had come prepared to handle this kind of trial, and even worked in teams. He probably could survive an avalanche."

Crimson glared at the woman, "Grandmother, I swear that I will throw you into the Marianas Trench if you do anything."

The entity simply chortled.

It soon became late, so Chazz created a fire and a shelter for him to sleep in so he didn't freeze at night. He was really hungry, and Crimson couldn't let him starve, so when he wasn't looking, she slipped three bentos of food with two bottles of water at his side.

"Three? Don't you think you're going overboard?" The Light questioned.

"She hadn't eaten her three meals all day, but it also looks like she's doing well without her medication, too." Crimson considered giving the medication, but then she decided against it because Chazz's body may have needed a new supply that fit him.

The dark haired duelist saw the three bentos, and was astounded by its miracle appearance. He looked around for who could've placed it there, but he saw no one. He didn't care to make sense of it anymore when his stomach grumbled. He scarved down the three bentos and two bottles of water, and let himself digest before going to sleep in his shelter.

Before the sunrise came, he walked back to the academy. Chancellor Foster was very surprised that the student came back in just a day and looking well despite having gone through dangerous scenarios. He wanted Chazz to experience the harshness of nature to see if he was the type to give up if it looked hopeless to him. If he hadn't left, then the Chancellor's people were supposed to find Chazz before sunrise and place equipment that would be useful in helping him search for the cards with food and water. But now, here the student was alive and well with forty cards already!

The Chancellor would ask questions later. First, he had to test his heart! And he was not disappointed. Chazz willingly gave him one of his cards while lying that he had forty-one. Crimson was truly proud of her mother!

Although, as Chazz was giving it, Ojama Yellow appeared. Crimson was about to lunge herself forward since she thought that Chazz would freak out and experience horrifying flashbacks. But her grandmother stopped her, and told her to watch. Chazz did appear to not like the appearance of the Ojama, but he didn't have a melt down.

The Light smirked, "It looks like our Chazz isn't shocked at all that he's seeing things. In fact, it looks like he has no problem with seeing things. Must be thanks to my Jaden hallucinations, so it's all thanks to you, Crimson." She patted her guilty granddaughter's back.

They watched as Chazz defeated fifty duelist with ease, and was now the best duelist in North Academy, which meant that he was going to duel in the annual duel against Jaden Yuki. Chazz felt a malicious glee in him at the thought of dueling Jaden again! He laughed maniacally while everyone bowed for him.

The Light was extremely proud of this image while Crimson was just smiling with an animated sweat drop. They left to report to the others.

._._._.

 _Song: Monster - Eminem ft. Rihanna_

Though Chazz was promised a duel with Jaden, the duel wasn't until three months from now, so he had to register and attend classes at the Academy while upholding his title as the Prince of North Academy. They all did expect him to push them around like other best duelists had done in the past, but Chazz was actually not all that bossy and spoiled, though he talked like he did. Instead, he actually spent most of his time doing his own classwork and homework without forcing someone to do it for him, and when his teachers would complain about the other students not doing well, he actually took control to help them by setting up after class study sessions.

He explained, "It's not like Duel Academy where there's a distinct boundary of who is a slacker and who isn't. Here, we follow through with ranking which always changes when you duel, and you win by either luck or skill. As your prince, it is my duty to make sure that you all reach your full potential with your skills to see if you deserve your low ranking or if you can try to reach to the top like me. I can obviously reach my own potential by myself, but all of you sorry whelps obviously need help, so as your prince, you better thank me for wasting my time helping you slackers!"

He then made a committee to plan activities, events and schedules in order for each student to efficiently pull their weight and have others help them through it. When he saw some problems in the campus such as broken pipes, he talked to the school board about it, and he was willing to use his own money to have everything fixed, but as a loan, and only when money was tight with the academy. He wasn't allowing anyone to take advantage of him like a piggy bank unless it truly couldn't be helped, or when he was in a good mood.

Chazz did duel in order to keep his skills fresh while doing all of this, which made Chancellor Foster questioned of how Duel Academy could let go such a marvelous student!

Everyone first respected his skills, but now they respected him as the best person to ever enter North Academy as if he was a great Messiah. They didn't care if he was diagnosed to be a schizophrenic* due to his hallucinations and behavioral symptoms that matched it. Chazz was opened with it after he had everyone take an oath that whatever happened in North Academy stayed in North Academy. This was to make sure that others who did not want it to be spread beyond the walls would be assured of that. He was open about having been diagnosed as clinically depressed since he was ten years old, but he had been healing, and he will continue to fight against it.

He made everyone learn about it, and was open about how he wanted to be treated. Others also opened up about their medical problems, and Chazz had everyone learn about it, and have each individual talk about how they wanted to be treated because some are okay with others while it wasn't for the rest. This gave the courage for one of them to confess to Chazz about his homosexuality, and he was scared of being made an outcast because everyone else would assume that he was a pervert.

Chazz understood his conflict since he was also shamed of his won sexuality, but he didn't want any one of his followers to feel ashamed for who they were. He didn't have this person reveal himself, but instead, the ravenet revealed his bisexuality by forcing himself to do it since courage wasn't on his side. He was pathetically loud when he confessed, but after doing it, his body wanted to fix this awkwardness and in front of his peers, he felt...calm, so he also yelled, "AND I'M NOT A PERVERT IF ANY OF YOU BOZOS ARE THINKING IT!"

After his confession, he prepared himself to educate everyone about sexualities with the help of both teachers and students. This was a controversial matter that Chancellor Foster wasn't comfortable with having become part of the education of the academy, but Chazz stood his ground.

"The only way to remove ignorance is through knowledge! This is an academy to teach people to duel, and in dueling, you have to understand your opponent! We smack talk during duels, but some things shouldn't be said, and some things shouldn't be made a big deal out of! I'm not just teaching this academy about sexualities and disorders. No. I'm teaching this academy about proper dueling etiquette because if a duelist comes out gay or having a mental problem, then your students shouldn't do something stupid like outcast them for that! It's a dueling academy! Only a person's duel skills matter in the end!"

The Chancellor was stunned silent, and he saw Chazz's point. He still felt hesitant in allowing this, but he guessed that as long as he supervised this, and didn't let anyone of higher power know about it, then they could get away with it.

Chazz did give his lessons about what sexualities were, the spectrum of it, and he also taught about sexual assault and how to defend themselves even against women. Just because it's done by a female, didn't mean it didn't count. He was open to answer anyone's questions, even if it sounded offensive. He acted professional, and answered to the best of his abilities.

This lesson did open the minds of even those who were against these sexualities. Those who were against such sexualities existing still didn't believe in them, but they understood that a person's duel skills was what should be judged. Anything else was none of their business, and they shouldn't assume that they were bad people to be avoided.

This also did help a few students open up about their sexualities, and a few were annoyed by the ignorant questions thrown at them, but they were glad that very little changed in their life at the campus because of it.

North Academy's culture changed within those walls where everyone could be more open about who they are without feeling ashamed for it, and were more willing to seek the help they needed if they felt troubled by it. Nobody expected this to happen in just two months, but Chazz wasn't the type to let a day go by without making something happen.

As good as that sounded, Chazz did overwork himself a little too much that his followers would try to help him calm down and rest. They would treat him with the proper respect while doing anything he demanded just so he could be at ease.

Chazz did know he was doing too much, and part of that was because he felt anxiety sometimes. He also couldn't help feeling like a hypocrite. He was only open about his problems and sexualities because he knew it wouldn't reach his brothers. He was also rejecting his bigender identification. Chazz wanted to only see himself as a man, but when he would see the female teachers and very few female students going around wearing their makeup, skirts, and accessories, he felt jealous. He knew he was born intersex, but he saw his problem as a transgendered problem, and felt ashamed of that. He believed that he was wanted as a male in the world, and to do anything feminine would subject him to a world of rejection.

Not wanting to think about it, he did his paperwork on a lounge chair with a few students doing his bidding to keep him comfortable. He soon felt his eyes tire from reading, and they noticed, so they had him pause and lie on his lounge chair to take a nap. Chazz did feel a bit sleepy, but then Ojama Yellow showed up and made him start thinking about Jaden and Zane. He wanted to destroy Jaden, and he wanted to talk to Zane at the same time. The number Zane gave him got destroyed by the water when he fell into the ocean. He could look up his number, but then he hesitated. The thought of Zane made him happy, but he didn't know what to talk to the Obelisk about. He didn't even know what they were.

Were they friends? If they were, how deep was their friendship? He didn't want to call expecting something, and then become disappointed afterwards.

He kept telling himself that he was better off not calling at all since there was a time difference between the Academies, so there was never a good time to call. Besides, Zane most likely forgot him like how he forgot about him until Ojama Yellow had to ruin that.

But thinking that way did make him feel sad, but not to the extent he once felt it.

After finishing the paper work, he made his rounds around the academy to check on the club activities to see their progress. He checked the students who were assigned to cleaning duty to make sure they were doing their job. He also checked with the teachers to know if they needed his help with anything. He then thanked them for their hard work or scolded them for their laziness. Lastly, he had to check on those who got into trouble since he was also part of the court who would decide their punishments. He judged fairly with the help of the students who studied laws and punishments.

Then Chancellor Foster called him to his office. "You wanted to see me Chancellor?"

"Ah yes, The Chazz, we just had a transfer student arrived yesterday, and she has no interest with going through the optional ranking tradition. She is our first female student of this year, so may you please welcome her. We don't usually have female students here in North academy."

"No surprise since this place was a dump when I arrived. What female in their right mind would come here." Chazz insulted the place, though now it was far better thanks to him.

"Your words are scathing as usual. Please be a bit more gentle with her." Foster requested, used to Chazz's insults.

"Ha! If she plans on staying in North Academy, then she has to be willing to face The Chazz." He declared before leaving the office. He headed for the entrance, but then he heard music bouncing off the walls from the piano in the dance room.

 _Song: The Tower of Babel - Yoko Kanno_

The song they were playing sounded familiar that it made Chazz feel a familiar happiness he once felt when he heard it. He walked over to the dance room to see Vivian playing the piano. She glanced at him and stopped. She lifted a finger to point at the ballet shoes that was placed at the door. Chazz was confused at first, but it wasn't hard to know what she was asking for. He did as he was silently instructed. She then told him to do the basics at the bar.

"What are you playing at?" He asked.

She answered, "Just made a song that I want people to dance to, and I don't know any good dancers other than 'The Chazz'." She didn't say that sarcastically. She sounded more amused with the no-fucks attitude.

Chazz didn't say a word. He was thinking hard about this. He hadn't danced in years, and the idea of it...it hurt to think about it. His body always felt the urge to dance, but every time he did dance, it only bought forth the feelings of torture that drove his body to ache as if his bones were brittle and his blood was acid. But after everything he's been through in this academy, he felt his anger overcome his fear because he wanted to fight to feel this happiness while he danced. His feet were drawn to do it against the pain.

He walked over to the bar, and began doing the basics. His body, especially his toes felt a strain since he was rusty. Yet just like a professional returning to their glory, his body quickly remembered how to move correctly after a few mistakes. Chazz soon became fluid and precise in his movements in a none harmful way to his toes. Dancing once again became second nature to him.

Vivian saw this transition, so she changed the music to the song she made, and sang with a voice that belonged to a choir of angels.

Chazz felt her voice soak into his skin and reverberate across his bones. He glided across the floor, and filled it with graceful movements that swept away the sadness from the atmosphere. The light that shone from the windows above were his spotlights as he decorated the floors with steps that painted it with history. It was such a benevolent feeling. This happiness that bloomed from kindness.

However, Chazz began to feel the weariness from the lack of training he hadn't had over the years. Vivian stopped when she noticed the way his legs trembled. He knew he should stop, but he wanted to dance on even if it was painful. He wanted to grasp at the threads of happiness that were slipping from his fingertips, but his anger overcame him like a wrecking ball that swung in a way that gave him no clear idea of who he was angry at.

He thought it was Jaden, but his heart told him no. He thought it was his brothers, but his heart told him no. He then asked if it was himself, and his heart said yes.

He felt insecure by that answer. He listed his many flaws as he did a pirouette, and that only made him feel the sadness he was supposed to wash away with his dance. The sadness was not lethal, but it still dragged him into what felt like the darkest part of the ocean. He could feel everything around him, but he had no clutch. He did not sink, but he didn't rise. He was stuck in place.

He then found himself on the floor in the splits with his body leaned forward and arms out stretched to his ankle as if he completely submerged himself in his insecurities. He gritted his teeth hard as he felt his anger bubbling hotter inside him, but then he heard a sniffle. He looked up and saw the Chancellor and many other students and teachers crying.

"It was so beautiful!" The Chancellor hid his watery tears behind his forearm. "A true dance of a youthful happiness crushed by the insecurities that leads to rage and sorrow! I never seen such a telling choreography!"

"We'll support you, Chazz!" The students cheered beyond their tears! "CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!"

Chazz stared at these weirdos with an unsure expression since he felt his privacy invaded, but then the look and sound of their sincerity warmed his heart. He felt his anger subside for now by the happiness he felt in his soothed heart. He gave them all a grateful smile with the glimmer in his grey eyes, "Thanks you, guys."

They were all stupefied by his dazzling smile that they all felt their hearts ache by how this was too good for them. They all bowed to him, and howled, "WE'RE NOT WORTHY!" Chazz found their actions weird, but he was getting used to it.

He had them leave him and Vivian alone, so they could talk.

"So why did you come now?" He asked. The two were sitting on the piano bench. "Aren't you paid to watch over me? I know that since I know you aren't the stalker type."

"And how do you remember that? We haven't see each other since elementary school." She pointed out with an exhausted expression. She still felt tired after getting forty cards from the glaciers before she was told that she could've just bought forty cards with her if she had a doctor's note.

"I'll admit that I may not remember what happened a lot that time, but just because I don't remember what happened, doesn't mean I forget my classmates. Remembering people's names is one of the Chazz Princeton's gifts. I remember you being the girl with some serious insecure issues, but thanks to me introducing to you duel monsters, you were a lot more interesting."

Vivian snorted, "I guess that's how you'll remember it. Not surprised that you took over this school. You did that to our elementary school. All the other school presidents listened to you." Those were good memories before Chazz left. "What else do you remember about elementary or anything else besides that in our childhood?"

"Nothing really. Just the names of my classmates. I searched up on how some of them were doing before I got here. Elementary does feel like a long time ago, and I'm just sixteen. Weird..." Chazz thought it was weird since he felt like an enormous chunk of his life had been erased from him.

Vivian didn't react, but she frowned on the inside since she knew the truth. "Makes you feel like you've gone to war, and time escaped from you, doesn't it..." She carefully observed Chazz's reaction to those words, but the teen appeared to think she was making a very dramatic comparison.

"I wouldn't go that far, but a lot has changed for me..." The interboy stood up.

The bronze female questioned, "Hey, you don't happen to remember someone that went by the name Noe or Jona or Critias do you?"

Chazz stared at her, and he felt that he did, but he couldn't make the connection. "Sorry, don't know them."

Vivian didn't say anything. It looks like Chazz only remembered his elementary classmates, and nothing else. It made her happy a bit, but Chazz deserved all his memories.

Then the reborn dancer requested, "Hey, play another song for me, why don't ya." He went to the center of the room, and without even waiting for the music, Chazz was already dancing, and Vivian was the one playing to his movements.

._._._.

"A second glass piece been flickering nonstop?" Noe was surprised. She was currently with Seto to discuss over computer graphics. "And it's only been a few months since we let Chazz off in the wild."

Seto told her, "It's was just a flicker just like when Chazz saw Jaden for the first time during the first month he arrived at North Academy, but now it won't stop. Vivian reported to me that it must have happened after his fanboys in North Academy cheered for him after he danced for the first time."

"He danced?" This was a day full of surprises, and Seto showed her the video that Vivian sent him. The dancer was definitely Chazz with how expressive and beautiful the movements were. "Definitely a natural like he always was, but a little rusty from having not danced in so long. He also looks conflicted."

"The Light informed me that Zane gave Chazz the ability to feel happy, and that helped curb the sadness in Chazz's depression. If Chazz is capable of gaining emotions through each piece, then it will subdue the negative ones."

"Since that second piece glowed not just for a single person from Chazz's past, then that means each piece glows for different reasons. This time it came from the cheering of his fanboys. What kind of positive emotion did that blossom?"

"We have no idea. Emotions is a complicated subject."

Noe snorted, "To sociopaths like us, it would be."

Seto ignored that joke. "It could be pride. Chazz may have gained happiness, but he can still feel insecurities. It won't drive him to commit suicide as easily as before, but you can tell from his dancing that he's feeling self conscious of himself."

"Hm. Maybe you're right...You have something planned for the annual duel, don't you."

"I'm insulted that you have to ask." Seto grinned criminally.

._._._.

 **Episode 25-26**

 _Song: Breathe in, Breath Out - Set it Off_

The three months were up, and Chazz had been ready since the start to take Jaden down. And he wasn't surprised that the brunet was as dumb as he was before he left. He couldn't believe that he had hallucinations of him. Ojama Yellow is a better hallucination than him, or so he told himself.

He was surprised, however, when his brothers appeared with a television crew. The older Princeton brothers were doing as Kaiba instructed since the CEO believed that this was the perfect opportunity to get a second glass to shine consistently. They delivered the pressure that they were supposed to give with the acting skills they required. They didn't falter when their little brother looked dejected. They kept telling themselves that this was for his own good, and hated themselves either way.

They then left him with the rare cards that Kaiba gave them.

Chazz stared at the rare cards, and took out the cards that Chancellor Foster gave him. He only had thirty minutes before the duel started, so he had to make the decision fast because he had to think of strategies. He knew that his brothers were expecting him to use their cards, and there was plenty of powerful cards in there. However, he remembered how he lost to Jaden before because he used rare cards. But he was different now, and he acted way too cocky when he was dueling back then. Now he was serious, and he could win with these rare cards.

But in his hand held the pride of North Academy. A school that accepted him, and perhaps would accept him despite what a loser he may become because they didn't only see him as a duelist. They saw him as a leader with more to give.

He couldn't mix these cards because that would throw off the perfect strategies in the North Academy deck. He may have a better chance at winning with his brothers cards, but this was a duel between North and Duel Academy.

He kept looking at the briefcase and the deck in his hand back and forth, back and forth. His heart and mind didn't know which one was better. All it really came down to was winning, and Chazz was sure Foster wouldn't mind if he used his brothers' cards, and vice versa.

Then who should he choose? He knew who he was fighting for. He was fighting for his brother and the academy. So what will help him choose? What else was he fighting for?

"Hey boss. What'cha doin'?" Ojama Yellow appeared and saw what Chazz was intensely glaring at. "Oh! Having a hard time deciding which kind of cards to choose! I can help you!"

"Buzz off!" He yelled at him. He didn't bring this guy's card with him since he was useless to him. Unlike all of these cards. He looked through the North Academy cards, and stopped at the armed dragons. He gazed at how each of them was a different level and the higher it was, the stronger they became.

Chazz was truly fond of that detail. It reminded him of himself and how he felt like he leveled up after leaving duel academy, and was able to act independent and strong by himself. He could do that. He could show his brothers exactly how strong he was!

But was that good enough? He may be the best at North Academy, but was he strong enough against Jaden's luck? What if he wasn't? This was in front of the whole world in HD, and that would give a clear shot in front of everyone to see the loser he was under all this confidence. His fear told him to not go, but his anxiousness to fulfill his duty told him to go. He had to! He had to! He had to!

For them! For his brothers! So they could rule the world! His mind reeled by the thoughts he had when deciding, and he threw himself into deep turmoil.

He looked down at the brief case, and his heart pang with regret for choosing the North Academy deck.

He ran off to the bathroom, and began washing his face with water to feel clean and calm, but his heart was still restless, and his brain was still drawing circles of which deck he should choose. He fought against himself to stick with the North Academy deck. He looked himself at the mirror, and hated the person he was staring at. The person who was nothing but a loser here in Duel Academy.

Why couldn't he win like he was supposed to?! Why couldn't he do anything on his own?! He had to! He had to!

He began banging on the mirror as if strength would bounce of of it and make the man in the mirror look better. He kept chanting to himself that he had to win because there was a plan set in motion for their family, and he had to hold up his end of the deal! He was already lagging behind too far from his brothers! He had to try harder, so they could rule the world together! He had to! He had to!

He dropped to the floor on his hands and knees without realizing that Jaden had been watching him.

When he could stand again, he went on that duel arena and dueled his hardest for his brothers with the pride of North Academy in his deck. He tried hard, and Jaden was acting like an idiot! Telling him to have fun and that he knew that he was under a lot of pressure. He hated it. He hated being seen through, and he just brushed off his words to keep dueling his hardest.

He dueled with everything he got, but he still lost. Chazz dropped to his knees, and his heart throbbed painfully, and it was worse than before. His emotions didn't numb. Instead, he could feel the heat of his loss burn him alive.

The Princeton brothers weren't surprised by this loss. Kaiba predicted that this would happen, and had them prepare themselves to completely throw Chazz under the bus in front of the whole school. And Jaden came in as the knight in shining armor to defend him, but Chazz still didn't believe that anyone truly believed in him after losing. But then the whole school cheered for him that they believed in him.

Chazz looked around, and it was one thing for North Academy to cheer for him, but Duel Academy did the same. Everyone in that stands stood up for him, and saw him as a great duelist. His whole body flooded with a calmness that wore away the anxiety and anger that plagued him before this moment, and seem to attach itself to his soul.

The Light sensed this next to Crimson who was cheering, too, with tears in her eyes. "CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! YOU'RE AMAZING MOM! YOU DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID BIG BROTHERS!"

"They're just acting remember." She pointed out.

"Ye-yeah. Sorry, got swept up in the mood." The dragon girl sniffed as she tried to wipe away her tears with her sleeves.

Jagger and Slade were about to get into their helicopter, but Chazz caught up to them, "Jagger! Slade!" They turned to their brother, who appeared to have a spark in his eyes that they haven't seen in so long. "I...I'm not a loser." He told them determinedly, standing his ground. "I may have lost that duel, but I'm not giving up! You may see me as a loser, but I'm definitely not a quitter! I'm going to become the duelist you deserve, and the duelist I want to be! You got that!" He said this with a confident tone, but his eyes were begging for their consent.

Jagger and Slade were pleasantly surprised by their brother finally standing up to them with a light, no matter how small, in his eyes glimmering just for them. They just nodded, and then got into their helicopter. They took one last glance at Chazz, and he was smiling at them before turning away before he could see them cry happily for him.

 _Song: Roots Before Branches - Room for Two_

Once they got in the air, Slade's cellphone rang. He put it on speaker when he answered.

Kaiba spoke, "You did a job well done. Due to your convincing performance, the second glass piece is glowing. It's dim like the first, and consistent."

They sighed in relief. "That's good to hear." Jagger said wiping his cheek with his sleeve. "I just hope Chazz didn't take that disowning part seriously."

"He'll be fine." Kaiba reassured them. "And like usual, I'll call you when I have something important to tell you or if I need you to do something. Until then." He hung up.

Slade put away his cellphone. Jagger leaned his head against his shoulder with a pleased, calm smile. Their fingers intertwined lovingly. "Our little brother is coming back to us, Slade. It took six years, but he's coming back to us."

"I know." Slade warmly smiled at the thought that their brother now felt a new positive emotion. "And maybe he'll end up dating that Zane fellow."

The finance guy snorted, "Chazz won't be dating anyone until after he has all his pieces lit up, and he becomes a pro."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." The Light appeared on the seat opposite of them.

"What do you mean about that?" Slade warily questioned. The two men were used to her sudden appearance.

The Light flashed them an innocent smile as she answered, "The new piece gave Chazz back the emotion of serenity, peace, or whatever synonym for true calmness. Before he was always filled with stress even if he did feel happy, but now that he can fully become calm, he will be able to focus on more _bodily functions_. Such as masturbating for the first time! And there's no way he's gonna just stick to doing that! All of his past incarnations, even Jaswinder who was the one with the most self-disciplined attitude had given away her virginity like a free donation to any delectable woman or man who wanted it! So it looks like what you helped Chazz get back was his libido, too!"

The Princeton brothers stared at her in horror. They both yelled, "TURN THIS HELICOPTER AROUND!"

But the Light made their demands be mute to the pilot, and she enjoyed their furious and hectic expressions, and their thirst to kill her.

Back at duel academy, Chazz made the decision to stay at the place since he felt like he had to be there. He did leave in a poor state, and he wanted to do better. He wanted to go back to North Academy because he cared about everyone, but then he was sure that they could handle things without him. He did leave the academy with people he knew could take charge, and keep the peace there. And besides, he'll see them next year, and without a doubt, they'll send him tons of mail, and he'll just send them one with a letter of his appreciation, and a check that wasn't a loan just in case anything did break or needed to be renewed while he was gone. He hoped his brothers weren't actually going to disown him.

But right after they were too far to hear his cries to come back, the Chancellor dropped the bomb on him that he was going to stay at the Slifer dorm. Everyone was happy that he was back, but he definitely wasn't! Well not entirely, he wasn't.

There was at least one good thing that he was coming back to...

After everyone retired as the sun was setting, Chazz went to a cliff that was near the obelisk dorm. He began remembering his break downs at the academy, but nothing more. He felt ashamed for having been so weak in the past, but just as he learned from North Academy, he shouldn't be. He was just human after all, and like humans can do, they could become and feel better.

"Chazz?" Zane was just taking a stroll again, and his heart panicked when he saw Chazz at the same cliff where he nearly killed himself.

Chazz looked over to Zane, and smiled to show that everything was okay. "I remembered what happened here. Thanks and don't worry. Just because I'm put into the Slifer dorm, I'm not going to kill myself. I don't do that anymore."

Zane sighed in relief. "That's good to hear." He truly was relieved, and was glad that Chazz leaving Duel Academy was a good thing after all. "So I guess you remember our kiss, too."

"WHAT?!" Chazz turned a full one-eighty to face him. "We-We-WE KISSED?!"

"Yes. Pretty passionate actually." The stoic male joked.

"PA-PASSIONATE?!" The virgin delicate to romance(?) couldn't help looking like a red eggplant. "LI-LIAR! You're just messing with me!"

"Not at all."

Chazz gasped in horror at what he did! He kissed Zane at a desperate moment for affection! How could he do something so pathetic! He moved back subconsciously, and nearly fell, but Zane caught his wrist and pulled him to his body. Chazz felt his heart pound, and he quickly got away and took a few steps to give them space.

"For the record, I didn't mean to kiss you! I was just desperate!" He made clear with an unconvincing red face that almost made Zane laugh.

"I know." The stoic male deadpanned. That attitude pissed Chazz off!

"Don't agree so casually!" He yelled, and as grateful as he was for Zane to help him without making a huge spectacle of it, his heart couldn't handle the embarrassment! "Forget you! I rather be near that annoying Slifer slacker instead of you!" He lied as he turned away.

But Zane reminded him, "Alright, but before you leave, I have something I promised to give you." Chazz couldn't remember any promise they made, so he turned around, and was taken aback when he saw Zane give him a charming, welcoming smile on that gorgeous face. His arms opened to him.

"Welcome home, Chazz."

The ravenet blinked at this, and he remembered vividly of what Zane promised to do when he ever did decide to come back. His heart swelled with happiness. He ran into Zane's arms, pushing aside that he was embarrassed earlier because he was happy to be back where he belonged.

 _Song: Calls me Home - Shannon LaBrie_

._._._.

"So Chazz will be staying at the Slifer dorm. I can't wait to see his face when he sees what he got himself into!" Syrus evilly chuckled. Apparently the darkness was strong in the Truesdale family.

"Yeah!" Chumley agreed. "He's gonna flip out, and it's gonna be hilarious!"

"Yeah, and we'll get to see each other every morning, and duel!" Jaden said excitedly. He was also stoked that someone else in this academy could see duel spirits like him! He truly couldn't wait for the days ahead with Chazz back!

._._._.

A/N: Shortest chapter I typed, but I didn't really want to get that deep into North Academy in this chapter. But North Academy OCs might appear in later fics, and with Jesse entering, it's most likely.

So Chazz got back the ability to truly feel calm in a situation thanks to the support from everyone. This not only lessens his anxiousness but also his anger, which means less stress, which means morning wood. :D

I hope you guys don't mind this friendly Majesticshipping that may lead to something. Hornetshipping is in the next chapter with slight rivalshipping. But the chapter will mostly focus on Chazz's pride and insecurities.

Thank you **Guest** for commenting! Wow, 4am. I'm usually on Youtube looking for songs and watching abridged series around that time. Levy won't appear until I reach season 2, and there's definitely Rageshipping when I hit season 3!

*Schizophrenia is abnormal social behavior due to a brain disorder, or an abnormal personality type that's been formed for various reasons from simply being shaped by childhood to extreme trauma. There are three types which is: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Chazz is experiencing secondary schizophrenia.


	15. Chapter 15

_A nine-year-old Chazz was sitting in a stark white, square room filled with nothing but a light that came out of nowhere and made the curves of the room evident. There was no light bulb or anything in sight. Just Chazz standing in a room naked, but his private part and her nipples were gone. She was like a Chelsea Barbie doll._

 _There was no door, but a dark man would appear, and speak lovingly to him, "Charles, do you want anything? Ask for it, and I will give it to you."_

 _Chazz said nothing. He wasn't Charles. His brothers changed his name for him, so everyone would refer to him as Chazz._

 _The man then placed its dark hands on her shoulder with a firm yet gentle touch, and had her sit on a comfy chair that appeared out of nowhere. He brushed her long, curly hair so delicately, while loosening the knots with ease. "You have such beautiful blonde hair." It said as its fingers combed the silky yellow hair that glistened by the strange light. "And so many beautiful eyes like mine." His fingers slid across the gaps between the multiple eyes on Chazz's face. and down to the chin where no mouth acted as a bump. "And such beautiful white skin. A majestic contrast to my black skin. You being as white as the sun rays filled with a spectrum of colors, and me as black as the vast empty space that absorbs those colors. We could create a whole new world...out of our love for each other." It stopped combing to wrap its strong arms around her shoulders, and lovingly nuzzle against her face without irritating her eyes._

 _Chazz looked at this man who wasn't a man. Just a shadow of a person with multiple eyes._

 _Slowly from above Chazz's chin, a dull pointy bump grew, and then retreated, and then grew back out again. The skin that was stretched out was suck in and it formed a wrinkled line. Then he violently thrashed his head until the skin tore off._

 _"I..." Her voice started out softly from in between the tear. "I do not love you."_

 _"Then do you hate me?"_

 _"No."_

 _"That's a shame because I love you. Even now as the empty slate you are, I love you with all my being. How about you? How do you feel about yourself?"_

 _Chazz sat on that chair with his eyes fixed on nothing in particular. He didn't know what he truly looked like. She didn't know what she was. All he/she knew was that it was their own fault that this happened. Chazz felt like like an it, and that felt degrading._

 _"I loathe myself."_

Chazz woke up calmly in the Slifer dorm, and did not remember what he dreamed about. But he felt a loathing feeling that he felt ever since he was ten. It was always mixed with feelings of depression and anxiety, but now, he just felt a hatred for the person he saw in the mirror. He took his medication before his emotions spiraled down to a pit of feelings that would make him do things that he didn't want to do.

._._._.

 _Song: Don't Let Me Get Me - Pink_

Chazz caressed the dance floors with his feet. His toes tickling the surface, and it pulled him to a graceful land when he leaped away from its touch. The mirrors couldn't reflect the refined artistry that he established in the dance studio that was abandoned since no one at Duel academy had any interest in dancing. The dance instructor who also taught mathematics at the academy was completely at awe by his performance. She was afraid to teach anything in fear of destroying such perfection.

"My landings are sloppy, and my turns are imbalanced." Chazz commented on his own dancing. "Sorry for doing a poor job." He apologized to the bewildered instructor.

She gawked at him. "Wha-what are you talking about?! You were fine! Amazing! Fantastic! I swear I felt goosebumps every time you did a grand jete or even a brise! It was ballon!" She impulsively complimented him. If that wasn't perfection, then what was?!

Vivian who was the piano player told the instructor, "You better leave before you have another orgasm. Your class is almost starting."

"O-Oh right!" The professor skittered out of the room, having not heard the orgasm part.

Chazz sighed. He faced the mirror with his hand holding the ankle of his supple leg. Even if he was doing it correctly, he still felt like he was out of shape, and he was permanently deformed that way.

"So how are you liking the Slifer dorm?" His watcher asked standing next to him with her ankle in hand. The two began doing their morning stretches before exiting the gym and heading all the way to the main building for class. Chazz's dance practices would actually be scheduled for the afternoon. They did this one in the morning, so the dance instructor could see if he was worth it, and he proved to be very much so. He had been practicing at North Academy, so his technique wasn't as rusty as it was when he started to dance again.

"It's like living in a house made for drug addicts." The new Slifer complained. He only just moved in yesterday, and he could barely sleep by the cheap feel of his bed, the various smells of the unknown, and the sounds of snoring from the other rooms. He checked to see if his credit cards still worked even if his brothers said that he was disowned, and they did. Chazz was more than eager to do some renovations, but he couldn't do anything until he got clearance from the Chancellor, and it would take time to get everything he ordered, so he just had to deal with eating Slifer food and using ear plugs.

Vivian then asked, "And that Jaden guy? I think he think your friends."

Chazz scoffed at the mention of that slacker, "Who cares. I'm not wasting my time with him." Even if Jaden did stand up to his powerful brothers for him, he wasn't suddenly going to get chummy with him.

"And so the tales of the tsundere Chazz begins."

"What was that?!"

"So what about Zane?" She smoothly distracted him.

"Zane?" The interboy blushed, feeling embarrassed because he kissed him. "Nothing! Nothing is going to happen between the two of us! The kiss was nothing but a complete accident, and it's not like we can spend time together even if we live on the same island! He has his thing, and I have mine. I bet he won't even like me if he knew the truth." Chazz sat down and crossed his legs tightly. Hating the feeling of his vaginal opening that currently had a tampon stuffed in there, or the way his useless balls felt disgustingly sweaty. "Nobody will. Not when I have a body like mine."

"Don't underestimate the kinky side of the world. Some people find that as a bonus. Double sex for the win. You can also give birth to his kid."

Chazz's face blew out steam. "I'M NOT GIVING BIRTH TO HIS KID! This is just a disgusting bonus! Having both a vagina and a penis is completely unnatural! I asked my brothers for surgery, but they keep telling me that I'm too young, too young! Well, how much older am I supposed to be?! FIFTY?!"

Vivian inwardly sighed. Now that Chazz could feel positive emotions instead of being numbed by negative ones, and can feel more at ease with dueling and doing work, that only made an opening for another one of Chazz's many problems: Insecurities. Or more precisely Gender dysphoria mixed with insecurities*.

"Throwing it out there, 1 out of 1500-2000 babies are born intersex. That means there are probably over three million people like you out there in the world. Probably even more, so you're not unnatural. You just hate yourself."

"Wow. Nice pep talk." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You're the one preaching at North Academy that diagnosed mental disorders and sexualities shouldn't be treated like a disease. You're body shouldn't be treated any different. If another duelist came out as intersex, would you say their body was unnatural?" She rose an eyebrow at him.

Chazz didn't take long to answer since the answer was obvious. "No."

He took another look of himself at the mirror, and it was true. He just hated himself. He hated this hermaphrodite body of his. Ever since he was ten, he wanted to please his brothers by being an extraordinary duelist with a normal body. His brothers were open supporters of the LGBTQIA, but Chazz did want to be part of the "I" in that acronym. He didn't want to be part of the "B" either, but people at North Academy were depending on him. And sexualities were never consistent and practically existed like air, but his body was purely solid.

He had to be a man. He had to be a man, even if his reason to become one didn't make sense. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Ignore it." Vivian answered point blank. "Obviously, loving your body is better than hating it, but it takes time and effort to get there, but you don't have to concentrate on that aspect of your life. Just concentrate on your dueling aspect. Nobody outside of your family, not even your own birth certificate, knows about what's in your pants, and it's none of their damn business. You don't owe anyone, not even yourself to accept or fix it. So just ignore it."

Ignoring a problem like Chazz's own would be difficult, but it couldn't be solved by thinking really hard about it, and he had other things to focus on. Vivian just hoped that there would be a threshold for her childhood leader to cross when it comes.

Chazz thought about her point, and he agreed with her since it made sense. He didn't have to love his body. It didn't define everything he was. He had his duel disk, his cards, and his skills, and that was all that really mattered. He took another look at himself, and he forced himself to ignore the discomfort of having a body like his. He just had to see the duelist he was beneath this. He had to.

"Anyway, do you ever plan on telling Bastion the truth that it was the wind that threw his cards in the ocean?" The watcher questioned out of the blue.

Chazz didn't know why she would bother. "Heh! No way I'm going to tell him that! Why in the world should I? We're not even friends."

She said nothing. She just let Bastion, who stopped at the door after hearing about the intersex fact spoken, do the listening and thinking of a response for this. He was at the gym since morning exercises were the best way to start the day. He immediately left when he saw them stop their morning stretches to get to class.

._._._.

When classes were over, Chazz requested an appointment to see Chancellor Foster. He then went to the library to finish his homework. When he was done, he decided to take a walk after sitting for nearly two hours. He stayed away from the Slifer dorm or anywhere that Jaden could be. He knew that guy would want to bother him since they hadn't seen each other for three months. He thought he was going down the best path, but the energetic slacker found him, and his blue haired midget keeper was nowhere to be found.

He felt harassed by the questions that Jaden threw at him even when he was told to get away from him. Jaden just couldn't help asking about how he met Ojama Yellow and what North Academy was like. Ojama Yellow appeared and was about to say something about it, but Chazz told him to get lost.

"Hey Chazz, there's no need to be so rude to him." Jaden told him with an understanding expression. Seeing duel monsters was a strange but cool phenomenon after all. "He's as real as my Winged Kuriboh. See."

The duel monster made an appearance. "Kuriii."

"If the both of us can see them and hear them, then you're not crazy. We're just special!" The shorter teen grinned as if he accomplished something.

But Chazz refused to accept it. "Or we both are crazy, and you're wasting my time! Just because I was forced into the Slifer dorm, and I'm back at Duel Academy doesn't means that we're friends!" He refused to believe that these spirits were real. He just felt compelled to not believe in them even when Jaden proved a good point.

"Aw! C'mon Chazz! Didn't we just have a spectacular duel yesterday!"

"Hmph! Maybe for you it was." The ravenet didn't enjoy their duel for obvious reasons. He walked away, hoping that the idiot wouldn't follow him, but he did. Couldn't he get the memo?!

Jaden then began telling him of all the different duels he got himself into. Something about dueling a monkey on the day Chazz left. He also dueled Jinzo, and some tennis guy who wanted to be Alexis' fiance which meant friend apparently. He then dueled the giant which was just a really big guy told what to do by an insecure midget, and then, a tarzan-looking guy who stole eggwiches, a copycat who stole Yugi's deck, a girl who fell in love with Zane but fell in love with him unfortunately, and Bastion to see who'll duel Chazz, and also the little Bewolski!

Chazz was annoyed by Jaden, but he was pulled in by the stories because they sounded amusingly ridiculous, and he had nothing else better to do. His dance classes didn't start until tomorrow, so he allowed Jaden to sit with him at the docks while he told him his various stories. He wasn't surprised that Jaden didn't fall asleep by the little Bewolski. His hyperactive attitude was unnatural.

Eventually Jaden's stories came to an end, and he asked, "So what about you? How did you get into North Academy?"

Chazz decided to bother telling him since he felt that he shouldn't lose in awesome story-telling. He proudly told him all about how he had to collect forty cards and beat fifty duelists, and that he did all that in two days. He didn't tell Jaden about how he gave lessons in mental disorders or sexuality since it seemed like something that the slacker wouldn't be into. Only that he ruled over the school like a king, and everyone did his bidding.

Jaden was predictably at awe by his superior skills. He pushed for details, and Chazz willingly told him, though brushed off the Ojama Yellow part as nothing.

They then talked and talked about random duels and dueling strategies with a few fond memories with other people that happened when the two were separated. Jaden got Chazz mad sometimes, and Jaden also got angry when Chazz's insults went too far. They were almost about to duel when they began arguing about something totally pointless, but then the blue haired midget keeper arrived, and told them that it was time for dinner.

Chazz went off first, refusing to acknowledge that he spent nearly three hours talking to this goofball. He just couldn't help gloating about his achievements.

"You were talking to Chazz this whole time?" Syrus found that odd. Not because Jaden was doing it, but because Chazz was allowing him.

"Yeah, so? He had some wicked stories about North Academy! Do you know that the place is located on an icy tundra, and you have to go through a perilous journey to collect forty cards in order to enter?! Isn't that awesome?!"

That sounded hard to believe seeing as how pale and thin Chazz was to do something like that. "Uhm, sure Jaden. Whatever you say. I guess it's a good thing I chose Duel Academy, after all then."

"Yeah, Duel Academy is the best! No doubt about it! But it would've been awesome dueling fifty duelists and winning in just one day! Chazz is really something, huh!" Jaden wanted to duel Chazz again! The duel they had yesterday was effected by the pressure the older Princeton brothers put on him, but Jaden got the feeling that the pressure was lifted off, which meant they could have a totally awesome duel for fun!

He just had to duel him again!

._._._.

The next day, Chazz met with Chancellor Sheppard, and got the clearance to start his own renovations. He then went to the library to finish the little homework he was given before heading to his dance class in time.

On his way, a few female students passed by him. All of them wearing their uniforms composed of skirts fit for their gender, makeup to highlight their best features, and earrings that expressed their individuality. Chazz subconsciously touched his virgin earlobes.

He knew that men also wore earrings, but he didn't want to wear studs or anything to secure his masculinity. He wanted to wear hoop or jhumka earrings. He knew that he probably could get away with wearing eyeliner, but he didn't want to only wear that. He also wanted to put on lip gloss to make his lips shiny, blush to accentuate his cheeks, and eye shadow just for fun. He wanted to put on a flowing gown that would rise when he twirled, so he could feel light and whimsical.

He liked his masculinity, but sometimes he just wanted to feel pretty like a woman.

 _Song: Beautiful - Bethany Dillon_

He stood at the hallway holding his earlobe. He turned his face to the window where he could faintly see his reflection. With his androgynous features, he could get away with being a female. He wasn't completely a man either, and his rough voice was not even natural, so he was getting away with being a man.

He could...But then he reminded himself that he shouldn't be two genders! He had to choose one! A lot of people can stick with one, so his heart shouldn't be wavering like this! He quickly shook off his curiosity, and ran to his dance practice at the gym.

There, the instructor decided to just let him practice the basics first before having him try dancing a complicated ballet solo that she had him watch a video of. Chazz quickly got the moves after one look. He figured that he must have danced this part before. The instructor was more than satisfied by his performance that she wished wanted him to try aiming to become a dancer as well as a duelist since it was possible.

But Chazz only wanted to dance as a hobby. He honestly would've skipped having to be a part of this abandoned class if he could have the dance studio to himself, but rules were rules. He had to have an adult with a key to let him in.

The instructor wasn't insulted since she found being able to watch him dance to be a treat to her eyes. Though she had to say, "As wondrous as your dancing is, I noticed that it's lacking something."

"Lacking?"

She tapped his chest. "A deeper, yet positive emotion similar to love, but that's no fault of yours since you are just starting your teen years. I believe there's nothing I can teach you, but I will continue being your instructor so you can dance, and perhaps one day dance with that deep yet positive emotion. I'll give you a spare key, so you can enter here whenever you want, but please keep things tidy while I'm gone. I need to get back to planning lessons and grading papers, see you tomorrow, Mr. Princeton."

When she was gone, Chazz thought on her words. He touched his chest, and he didn't know what he was supposed to feel. Something similar to love? He believed he never felt such an emotion, but he supposed it was because he was young.

He remained in the room to practice the basics for a bit longer since practice was very important. However, he found himself staring at himself in the mirror. He remembered Vivian's words, but he couldn't look away. His eyes scrutinizing his appearance with a trouble look in them.

His tights shaped the curve of his flaccid penis and the balls behind them. Behind that was his vaginal opening that led to a uterus. He wasn't sure how his private parts were shaped when he was born, but the one thing he knew that was fake was his chest. Remembering the surgery, he felt deep regret when he believed that he shouldn't. He also felt disgusted that he was happy that his pectoral muscles were bulked which looked odd for his thin body. He couldn't help thinking that they stuck out like breasts that were shaped by a sports bra.

Sometimes he did see them as male breasts and other times he didn't.

Why wouldn't his brothers just give him a man's body? Were they saving him for a political advertisement? Or did they know about his wavering decision? Was this a challenge? Why couldn't he just be a man? Why did he want to also be a woman? Wasn't this his body? Can't he change? Does this have something to do with his mental illness? Was he suffering something worse than schizophrenia? Should he talk to his psychiatrist to see if he needed new medication to fix this?

Every question he asked, a part of him told him that he was wrong. It only baffled him more.

He didn't want to think anymore, so he played music, and did the basics again and again, but it didn't distract him. So he changed the music to something dramatic to push himself more. Hours passed but he forced himself to go on even if his legs screamed for rest. His body beaded with sweat that sprayed off of him by every jump, every turn, and every stop.

Eventually he fell down. He tried to get up, but his legs were asleep. He desperately wanted to continue to distract his thoughts, but his legs were not helping him. Chazz desperately tried to move them to the point of bargaining with them, but they were dead to his groveling. His breath hitched as his tears poured down. He thought he came back to Duel Academy as a better person, and he may not break down by losing a duel anymore, and he didn't feel pressured to be the best anymore, but he was still a mess of a person. A person who couldn't decide what his body should be, even when he believed he knew the answer.

Bastion stood paralyzed from where he had been watching Chazz since the middle of the male ballerina's lessons. He was impressed by Chazz's talent, determination and work ethic, but tragically, it turned out that Chazz was trying to fight against demons that have yet to be resolved.

He then finally noticed that Chazz's friend was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed and a bag slung on her shoulder. "You're the one who was stretching with him yesterday. Aren't you going to go help him?" He questioned.

"It's Vivian. I will when he knocks out from crying."

"What? Why not help him now?" That didn't make sense to the genius. "He obviously needs someone in there to help him! Aren't you his friend?!"

She toughly answered, "Yeah, so I know what I'm doing. Depression, rage, regret, and all the other shitty emotions is experienced differently with everyone, and sometimes they need a friend, and sometimes they're better off without a friend. I'm already in too deep with Chazz, so even if I'm his friend, I'm just a burden to him."

"How could you be a burden?"

She sadly smiled at the question, and answered, "I knew Chazz when we were in elementary, and I see him as that kid who was once confident...put together...After a classified tragedy that destroyed the happy Princeton family, Chazz is trying to put himself together, but he can't be the boy he once was. And I tend to be a reminder that he can't."

Bastion wasn't aware that Chazz was that heavily conflicted, and his family was also far more dysfunctional than they seemed two days ago. Plus, Vivian seemed to be someone included in the conflict, yet helpless in fixing it even if she wanted to. He understood that he spoke out of place, so apologized, "I'm sorry."

Vivian leaned away from the wall and dropped her crossed arms. "What are you going to do with what I told you?"

"Me?" The Ra Yellow student wasn't sure if he was suited to help Chazz.

"You're not obligated to do anything. Just know that you can do something, but do it for Chazz. Not for yourself. He's not a project." She walked into the room where Chazz cried his heart out until he fainted.

Bastion watched her take off his shoes, and took care of his feet before she took him like a sack of potatoes over her shoulder, and left for the Slifer dorm.

Ojama yellow appeared by the two. He wanted to go to Jaden since he gave off the impression that he could fix a lot of situations, but Vivian was against that. "Jaden will try to do it through a duel since it's the only way he knows how to get through to someone, but dueling can't work on Chazz. He's devastatingly special that way, so keep your mouth shut about this. Let Chazz heal by whatever spontaneity this academy will throw at him without getting everyone involved. He doesn't need that kind of attention here."

"Right. Of course. Sorry." The Ojama poignantly apologized.

"And," She started before the duel monster left. "Thanks for choosing to be by his side even though he acts like a total bitch to you."

The Ojama was surprised by the appreciation, and that filled him with joy! "Of course! Ever since I saw Chazz, I always knew there was something special about him! Even though he acts like he doesn't like me, I know he's a really good person underneath that! I'll never leave him! And when I find my brothers, we'll always protect him! I promise!"

Vivian smiled at the promise. Ojama Yellow will never fill in the void that the Light and Darkness Dragon left, but Chazz should open himself up to seeing duel monsters again. Jaden had the gift to control them, but Chazz had the gift to attract them, and perhaps one day, he could once again be a sanctuary of happiness for them.

._._._.

 _Song: Dancing with Tears in me Eyes - Kesha covered by Stephanie Marie_

Bastion watched Chazz going about his days for a week. Not as a project, but as a friend. Not because it turned out that the card incident was an accident, but because considering that Jaden likes to hang out with Chazz, and that he liked to hang out with Jaden, the likelihood that the two were to become friends was a hypothesis likely to become a fact.

For the most part of his observations, Chazz appeared to be a regular teenager with quirks in his personality. He was somewhat snobbish, but fully arrogant. He was easily annoyed by Jaden who wanted to duel him, but Chazz always refuses for whatever reason he had. He picked on Syrus a lot while ignoring Chumley since the older teen was already a sorry enough case for being held back for three years in the Slifer dorm. He also had no problems with shouting at his hallucinations in front of everyone, despite appearing crazy for doing it. Jaden also talked his hallucinations, and the two of them seem to see the same thing. It was incredibly odd, but that wasn't the focus point of this study.

When one would watch Chazz, one word would describe his whole person and that was 'Confident'. Chazz never allowed anyone except his brothers to talk down to him. Even if he embarrassed himself, he would take the humiliation, and do extremes with it to show that he was amazing and could rise against any occasion.

But it was the complete opposite at the dance studio. Bastion would watch him from another room that could see through the one-way mirror in the studio. While he was doing his homework and creating and correcting his formulas, Chazz would be practicing the basics alone after the instructor would let him in. The two had talked about doing performances for events. Chazz didn't mind, and the instructor eagerly gave him the project to create his own solo performance in front of the school!

Chazz agreed, and he tried to create a fitting performance, but Bastion watched each one of those performances become a tragic movie that displayed a crumbling human being who could fight against the pressure, but when they looked at the mirror, they saw a worthless person. And thus, Chazz would dance and dance for hours trying to fight off this feeling of insecurity and dysphoria for his body no matter how much strain he put on it. Bastion even saw blood soak his pointe shoes.

And worse of all, they all ended without a conclusion because Chazz would fall and become unable to dance again. He'd cry until he could no longer cry, and Vivian would appear and repair his feet. When it did bleed, Chazz was not allowed to dance for a week. Bastion found that too short to allow his feet to heal, but he supposed that Chazz was rich, so he must have some good medicine to allow them to heal that quickly.

During the week that Chazz was healing, Bastion had the dance instructor as his math professor, and he saw the aftermath of her distraught that Chazz injured himself. But she supposed that it was natural for a ballerina, even someone as talented as Chazz, to injure themselves.

"Oh, if only I had been a better instructor, he wouldn't have hurt himself!" The instructor told him while they were walking to her office. Bastion had offered to carry her things. "If only he had a partner to dance with, then perhaps he'd dance with more love."

"Why do you say that?" he inquired, interested.

"Oh don't be mistaken. Chazz dances like a true prima ballerina with meticulous precision and agility that I envy. His performances could put a smile on my face, and put me at ease like a good cup of tea. But I, who have watched countless ballerinas in my lifetime, can tell when a dancer lacks love. Without love, the dance can seem superficial and lonely sometimes. Chazz did have a hard time here at Duel Academy when he lost to you and Jaden, and he has such horrible brothers. It barely takes much to hazard a guess as to why his performance lacks love."

Bastion thought on her words, and he didn't know if he could do anything about the love part, but perhaps he could help remedy the lonely part. "Ms. Bellaforte," He spoke the instructor's last name, "Is it too late to sign up for your extra class?"

._._._.

Vivian helped bandage Chazz's feet while the injured dancer took his pills as he was scheduled to do so. Unknown to many, Chazz's lit glass pieces gave the ravenet the ability to heal his physical wounds faster than the average human. His feet still looked disgusting with its many calluses, but the hardened skin were necessary for a dancer who put so much stress on such delicate body parts.

"Thank you for helping me, Vivian." He sleepily spoke his appreciation. "If you need anything, just tell me."

"I'll keep that in mind." She said as she inspected her handiwork. The sores were already closed, and there was no infection, but she still applied bandages since the skin still looked tender. "I'll leave you to heal." She left, and barely a minute later, Jaden and Syrus popped up to check on Chazz.

"Hey Chazz! Whoa! Did you kick a rhino or something?" Jaden questioned when he saw the sorry state that Chazz's feet were in. They looked bruised with rough skin that made them look deformed.

"None of your business, slacker. What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Just came to see how you were doing since I saw Ojama Yellow wondering around, and he told me about your feet problems. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine in a few days."

"That's good to hear. So up for a duel?!" The obsessed duelist asked excitedly.

The annoyed former Obelisk figured that his feet was just small talk for that question. "No. We'll duel when we're assigned to duel. Right now unlike you, I actually want to get my homework done, so I can get out of here as soon as possible!"

Syrus helpfully suggested, "If it's homework, then you could ask Bastion to help you. He always help me and Jaden with our homework."

"Ha! I don't need help from that whiz-kid! I did not get into Obelisk by letting someone else do the work for me!"

"Hey, we don't make Bastion do the work for us!" Jaden defended themselves. "Well, not entirely." He added with no shame.

Chazz rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Idiots." He didn't like Bastion, but he was definitely more tolerable to talk to then these dolts.

Then Syrus cheekily said, "I guess even the great Chazz can be shy, too. Don't worry, Chazz, Bastion don't bite."

Chazz was visibly irked like a cat whose tail got stepped on. "I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S SHY!" He began attacking him with Jaden joining in the wrestling, and discovered that Chazz was surprisingly stronger and more skilled than the two combined.

"Whoa! You really know how to headlock somebody. We should report you as a danger to the Chancellor's office." The little blue guy joked as he rubbed his bruise neck.

"Hmph! Just get out of my room already! I need to my homework unlike you slackers!"

"Whatever." They left, though Jaden couldn't help asking in ear shot. "Boy, you really don't hold back on teasing him do you, Sy."

"It's kind of fun. At first I thought Chazz was really scary, and he is, but it's fun getting him mad." Syrus was really fond of an irked Chazz. It was always a thrill.

Chazz did hear them like they thought he would and threw stuff at them while yelling, "OH, YOU LIKE SEEING ME ANGRY DO YA!"

._._._.

After his feet fully healed, Chazz was back on the dance floor. It was the weekend, so he went to the studio bright and early with a spare key that the instructor gave him. He started with warming up after having not been on his toes for seven straight days.

When the instructor arrived, she was with Bastion. Ms. Bellaforte explained that Bastion joined last week, and had been learning the ballet techniques diligently. Of course, Bastion was not ready to be on en pointe until his third year in Duel Academy, but the two could still work as a duet.

Chazz gave Bastion a head-to-toe look that was as sharp as a blade that could slice air. He looked at their instructor, "Have you given him the appropriate diet?"

"Of course! I have taught Mr. Misawa everything he should do in order to get the perfect ballerina body, and how to prevent injuring himself, but I'm sure you have plenty to teach him, too, Chazz. Since you have exquisite talent and experience, I would like it if you acted as my assistant in helping Mr. Misawa become the best ballerina he can be!"

Bastion heard that as his cue to speak, "Please take care of me." He gave a slight bow.

Chazz had an unsure look on his face, but he figured he had nothing else better to do, so he took it upon himself to see what Bastion learned, and what he needed to learn. "Show me what you got."

Bastion nodded with a confident smirk. He was glad that Chazz accepted him, and he did his best to show what he had been taught in such a short amount of time, and of course, it was terrible. So terrible that Chazz laughed out loud, and his instructor was listing off as many explanations as to why he was just that terrible. Bastion knew he was terrible. He knew what he was supposed to do, but he just couldn't give the right results. He felt horribly humiliated, but he reminded himself that he was doing this for Chazz.

"It's because you're thinking too much, whiz-kid." The far superior dancer approached him, and corrected his form. "If you want to be as good as the Chazz, then you'll need to trust your body. I was very energetic as a kid who loved to move his body, and I could always communicate better with it. Learning sign languages from different countries came natural to me. But that's only because I trusted my body to remember the right way to move itself to convey it."

Bastion looked down at Chazz who was correcting his foot placement, and he saw the arrogant teen softly smiling from his reminiscence. Chazz then stood up and gave him an example. By doing a few steps with his hand making gestures, he smoothly conveyed to him that he was a loser. Bastion knew he should feel insulted, but he ended up covering his mouth from laughing because Chazz looked ridiculous conveying that message, but it looked professionally done unlike him. He began to see his point.

"Ah, but you're just a beginner, but it doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you! From now on, you are the Chazz's slave-in-training!" He declared with a finger up in the air. But Bastion's eyes were on his proud grin. It was definitely a nice change from the sobbing.

He was definitely going to make sure this dancer left with no tears. Besides, he was interested to see how far this would go.

"I prefer to be called a student instead of a slave, but I supposed with you, it's interchangeable. I'll be in your care."

And so, the two engaged in many practices after classes where Bastion learned more about Chazz than he had on the week that he was observing him. As long as Chazz's time was occupied, he was okay with looking in the mirror because he concentrated on Bastion instead of himself. The tough duelist was a very strict teacher with a keen observant eye for mistakes. He would rightfully scold Bastion when he caught it, and he could be quite terrifying if the genius wasn't completely concentrating. Though they had their playful moments of trading quips.

After practice, they would head over to his dorm room where they would take care of their feet. Chazz had to inspect them for any likely injuries forming, and to make sure Bastion was cutting his toe nails correctly. The two would also talk about various things, watch movies, or read a book while their feet were chilling in cool water. Bastion would sometimes try to talk about childhood memories, but Chazz appeared to remember nothing in between Elementary and Duel Prep School. The genius assumed that that must've been the turning point of Chazz's life turning devastatingly wrong.

Other than that, the loud male would also sometimes have lunch or dinner at the Ra Yellow cafeteria, and no one would question it. Some believed that Chazz moved into the Ra dorm, or that Bastion lost a duel and he had to treat Chazz to their food almost every day.

"No way! No way! That was your first kiss! Bwuahahaha!" The loud duelist guffawed at the Ra yellow's misfortunes.

"Ple-please be a little quieter, Chazz." Bastion had no idea why he confessed such an embarrassing secret in a public cafeteria. Chazz seemed to have an effect on him to be a little more relaxed than he thought he already was.

The teen cutely snickered because he may be mean, but he wasn't vicious unless it was in the middle of a duel. He whispered, "I can't believe that she made you kiss her dog's butt! Right on the hole! That's it! I'm gonna call you Dog Butt Kisser-wait no!-I'll call you Anal Pucker: The Dog Lover!"

"I wasn't-!" He stopped to whisper to, "I wasn't in love with the dog!"

"Yeah. Yeah. Sure." The raven teen teased.

Bastion blushed in embarrassment. "I wasn't!" He hissed, and then noticed that Chazz was dropping raisins in his grape juice. He had been doing that every time they were served in the cafeteria. He thought it was done out of boredom, but it came off as a ritual now. "How come you do that?"

"Huh?" Chazz didn't know what he was talking about, until he noticed what he was doing. "Oh. It's a little habit of mine. When I was little, I was told that raisins were dried grapes, and I stupidly thought that it was sad because I thought the raisins were sad that they weren't as juicy before, so I'd drop them in my grape juice to get them plump again. But that obviously can't happen." He gazed at the wrinkled raisins at the bottom of his grape juice. It looked like he was empathizing with the imaginary sadness that the raisins felt in the glass.

Bastion stared at this, and he made the assumption that whatever Chazz experienced in his childhood, it was an event that drained him of something...Perhaps love? And the grape juice symbolized that love, but just like the raisin, Chazz couldn't absorb the love even when it was all around him?

The sympathetic genius's heart leaped for Chazz from the fool belief that he was near the dot. He carefully placed his hand on the raisin empathizer's own. "Chazz." He spoke his name with a gentle firmness. The lovely ballerina turned his gaze to him curiously. A warm, sympathetic smile welcomed Chazz as those lips revealed, "I'm really glad that I joined the dance club. Spending time with you is a blessing."

Chazz's eyes widened in surprise. "Bastion?"

"Hey, you two! I heard that we could find you here!" Jaden walked up to their table, and saw Bastion's hands on Chazz's own, and it also looked like he was interrupting an intimate moment. For a second, Jaden felt something dangerous by the affectionate touch, and his eyes became golden, and Chazz's turned instinctively silver, but they blinked before anyone noticed, and it turned back to their normal irises. The dangerous feeling was smothered by Jaden's habit of doing that to many of his negative emotions. "...Are we interrupting something?" he asked. Syrus was right next to him.

Bastion was confused by the question, but then he remembered where his hand was. His cheeks turned pink. "Oh no! This isn't what you thought it was! I was simply comfo-OW!"

Chazz kicked his shin, and angrily questioned the Slifers, "What the hell do you want? We were in the middle of talking, and Bastion was just massaging my hand since it got strained from writing papers."

That was a plausible excuse. Jaden then tried to remember what they came for. "Oh! We just came to tell you that we back from this totally awesome adventure with Professor Banner, Chumley and Alexis! It'll sound totally crazy, but I got the proof that it really happened because I was given this." He revealed a golden mystic medallion that looked to only be half of it. He told them all about the story, and the two skeptical teens somewhat did believe because there was no way Jaden could've just found a pendant purely made of gold, and professor Banner just let him have it.

._._._.

"Has the third one flickered yet?" Tea asked during a meal at a restaurant with her friends, and the Kaiba family with their little addition, Shunme* Kaiba. She was born a year before Chazz left for Duel Academy. She had indigo eyes and black hair like Mokuba. Noe was sure that not only her gender would be resembled when her baby grew up.

Kaiba answered, "No. It's only been over two months since the second one glowed. Also, it looks like Kagemaru is enacting his plan of unleashing the three Sacred Beasts in order to gain eternal youth."

"Will you be doing something about it?" Tristan asked. "In fact, hasn't there been a few students missing since last year?"

Joey replied, "There has, and Yugi and I made the connections, but we can't do anything about it. The person behind this is only interested in dueling the Supreme King."

"Supreme King?" Duke then remembered. "Oh right. That Jaden kid right. So you guys can't do anything?"

Yugi sadly nodded. "I may be the King of Games, but I already fulfilled my destiny with Atem. This time it's Jaden Yuki's turn to save the world, so none of us should interfere. They're the same age as us when we began saving the world, so I'm sure that they can handle it like we did as long as they believe in the heart of the cards and keep their friendship bonds strong."

"Will Chazz play a part in this destiny?" Bakura questioned. He was present with his wife, Kisandra.

"She is the Speck of Light." Kaiba answered with the female pronoun. "She already fulfilled her destiny with sealing the Harsh Darkness away, but she and the Supreme King are unfortunately connected. I don't know how, but she will provide the help that this Jaden kid may need during future duels."

"You know," The Light spoke up, "I am part of that destiny, and my toys are all laid out to play." She gave Kaiba a cute, pleading smile. She didn't have to, but playing human was so much fun.

Seto mirthfully smirked at her silent plead. "Sure, but not until next school year. Let's let Kagemaru have his fun, and if Jaden does win against him, then the missing students will all come back, and Duel Academy will be yours to play with."

"Uhm, don't you care about the students in your academies or at least the reputations at all?" Duke questioned, though knowing the answer full well.

"Don't be a fool!" The overtly passionate duelist raged. "Dueling is a serious game, and if those so-called duelists in my academies cannot stand up to the challenges and risks that comes with dueling, then they shouldn't have gone in the first place!"

Everyone felt an animated sweat drop behind their heads except for Shunme who laughed and cheerily clapped.

._._._.

 **Episode 29-30**

Chazz, Jaden, Alexis, Bastion, Zane, Crowler, and Banner were called into the Chancellor office, and were given the seven spirit keys to protect from the shadow riders who planned to unleash the Sacred Beast cards. Chazz was pretty skeptical about it, but the shadow riders sounded strong, and it'd be a nice warm up to duel them, so took a key.

They went back to classes after the meeting. When they were done, Chazz had free time since Bastion had a big project to do, and Ms. Bellaforte had papers to grade. He still arrived at the dance studio, so he could start planning a proper choreography for his dance solo. However, he became paralyzed when he saw himself in front of the mirror, and there was nothing to distract him from concentrating on himself.

Did this body truly danced beside Bastion? Was this the body that was admired? Or were they admiring the body of a man, and only just a man?

It wasn't time to take his pills, and the ones he did take weren't preventing the spiral of negative emotions he began to feel. He walked up to the mirror and like many distraught people would do, he punched the person reflected. Yet, he had no strength, so it was more like a tap with his knuckles. He laid his forehead against himself with his eyes closed and breathing soft. He slowly slid down before completely falling on his knees, and he huddled himself as he began to feel that insecure hatred for what he physically was and what he mentally saw himself as.

He didn't know how long he sat there being a ball of shaky distress until there was a knock on the glass doors. He looked up, and saw Zane staring at him with his default blank expression. His distress was ignored to let him in.

"I was told that I could find you here. Joined the dance club, I see." The mature duelist's voice was even, but when paid close attention to, it sounded a little forced. He was worried, but he didn't want to jump on that because Chazz would just try to excuse it as something less.

The dancer went to the barre to do some stretches. "It's just a hobby. I'm a natural at dancing. I could knock down any dance competition you put me in!" He gloated, though it sounded a bit force on his part. He reminded himself of how to act more confident. He then joked, "Unless the judges don't give high points to bone breaking and flexing. I could do it because I'm double jointed, but even I get squeamish when I see it."

"Bone breaking and flexing?" Zane never heard of such a dance style. Sounded dangerous.

A mischievous gleam were in the childish teen's grey eyes. "Want to see?" He offered.

"You're not going to break your bones in front of me are you?" That wasn't a no, but most definitely a fearful, silent yes.

"Don't worry. Don't be afraid." The dancer playfully assured him with sweet mockery, and turned on his music.

 _Song: I'd Love to Change Your World (Matstubs Remix) - Jetta_

Very little things could make the ever stoic Zane Truesdale react to the point to give a jaw drop, but when the strong beats of the music thumped and shook the core of their bodies, Chazz had the notes become the procedures of his movements. His arms suddenly moved as if they were built like a doll's arm flexed in different directions and twisted as if he had no ligaments were keeping the bones together. It truly looked like all of his bones were broken in every way possible, and yet could still flex them by will.

The lithe, pale teen practically folded himself like origami, and came out without the folded wrinkles.

When it ended, there was only the built up, intense atmosphere that surrounded them.

"..." Zane was speechless. What could he say about the strange, yet inspiring talent that the teen displayed before him. He came to see him dance, but not like this.

Chazz snorted, feeling a lot better at getting the great duelist dumbfounded by his moves. He made his way to the locker room to change while proposing, "That was a lot of work. I'm hungry." He walked out of the studio, and looked over his shoulder to see if Zane was following, and the older young man needed a moment before he did, though with a stunned expression.

The two bought bread, and ate near the light house. "Y'know, I always saw you standing here, looking like you have a sensitive side." The mohawk teen pointed out.

"What do you mean 'looking like I have a sensitive side'?"

"Don't be mistaken. I know you have a sensitive side." The cheeky teen gleefully beamed at having witnessed it, despite being in a dark place during those times. "But most of the time you have this blank, cold stare."

"It's just how I am." Zane couldn't help it. He could smile and have fun like any human being. It's just that it takes a little more effort to get that reaction out of him.

"Yeah, and I like you like that." Chazz said without thinking, just feeling the happiness that Zane was giving him. "As a friend, though. That kiss was an accident!"

Zane chuckled. "I'm sure it was."

"It was! Just because you're hot stuff, doesn't mean everyone will fall for you! Geeze, and I thought I was the egotistical one!" He was just playing around. Zane knew that and looked pleased at how endearingly jumpy the emotional teen was. "Anyway, why do you stand here a lot? What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much. I mostly stand here to enjoy the sunset or the stars. It's like a form of meditation, but sometimes I would think about my future and the friends I lost last year."

 _"Wow, that's pretty deep."_ Chazz thought admirably. "You lost friends?"

"Yes." The Obelisk student answered with a serious tone. "Last year, an event happened at the abandoned dorm, and my friend, Atticus Rhodes had gone missing since."

"Atticus Rhodes? Is he related to Alexis Rhodes?"

"Yes. She came to this academy to look for him, but I already looked everywhere, and haven't found him. It's as if he vanished since not even a clue could be found. However, we still cannot lose hope that he is still out there somewhere."

Chazz became astonished by Zane's strength in dealing with a missing friend. Not that the younger teen could empathized, but he definitely sympathized with him. He didn't like the worry that Zane subtly expressed. "Well, maybe he was taken by the Shadow Riders." he suggested.

"Hm? Why would you say that?"

"Because these Shadow Riders are after our keys which open the spirit gates that is under our school, and Jaden told me about going to some other dimension where they had a shadow game just like the king of games, Yugi Muto, and Seto Kaiba had back at Battle City. It sounds completely insane, but if three cards can really bring our world to ruins, then these riders must've done something to your friend, Atticus, to get ready to take our keys. So if we beat them, we might find him. Or so I think." Chazz wasn't completely confident in his theory, but he's willing to give hope just to make Zane look forward to something.

Zane stared at him for a good minute, and then smiled with slight delight. "That sounds like a very plausible theory. If it's true, then all we have to do is defeat these Shadow Riders to get Atticus back, and with you by my side Chazz, I'm confident we'll win." He placed an assuring hand on the shorter duelist's shoulder. The two sharing a tender moment of friendship.

But then Ojama Yellow appeared. "Awe! You two look so cute together! Zane and Chazz sitting on a tree! K-I-S-S-"

Chazz felt his vein throbbed angrily. "Who's kissing who?!" He swung his hand at the duel spirit to go away, and it did while laughing at him.

Zane watched as Chazz angrily yelled at his figment of imagination, but he could've sworn he heard Ojama Yellow's high pitched voice. Spending time with Chazz was certainly amusingly.

It soon got dark, so the two separated ways to their dorm. Chazz was sleeping peacefully until Ojama Yellow alerted him that Jaden and the others were abducted by a great light. Chazz knew it was the Shadow Riders, so he called Bastion and Zane to help him look for them. They split up to cover more ground and then meet up with nothing. The last place was the volcano, and they came just in time to help Jaden get to the nurse's office.

They were also given a surprise that Atticus was one of the shadow riders. Bastion helped put the former shadow rider on Zane's back to get him to the nurse's office, too. When he nearly dropped him, Chazz held Atticus up, and he was shocked when he could feel the diminishing duel energy within the injured man.

It was so small like a candle light, and it could be snuffed out in a second.

When they arrived at the nurse's office, Chazz secretly slid his hand underneath the blanket to hold Atticus's hand while Ms. Fontaine checked Jaden first. He could feel the duelist's exhaustion from lack of food, water, and sunlight. Whatever kept this body standing was gone, so he was going to die.

Chazz couldn't let that happen. Not when Zane just got him back, and he ran with all he got to get here as soon as possible to give him the chance to get help. He couldn't bear the thought of Zane losing his friend again. He wanted to do something.

Without consciously meaning to, he felt himself create a hand within his soul that took a chunk of his energy to transport to Atticus's soul. It helped nourish the body to stable levels, but he could do nothing for the mind at the moment.

He left the nurse's office feeling dizzy. "Chazz, are you alright?" Bastion asked. He gasped when he saw Chazz's eyes glowing silver.

Vivian appeared, "So you tapped into your powers."

"Powers?" The young man of science was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Vivian," Chazz called out to her. "What did I just do?"

"I'll explain at your room. Let's go." She said and started walking. Chazz felt his dizziness shake off enough to let him follow her.

"Wa-wait! I'm coming, too!" Bastion caught up with them. Zane saw them go, and he knew that when Vivian reveals herself, it usually meant something important is happening with Chazz, so he followed.

At the room, Vivian explained on Chazz's desk chair, "You're more weird than you think, Chazz."

"Are you sweet talking to me now, Viv?" He questioned sarcastically on his bed. Zane and Bastion stood near the closed door.

"You have a gift to give people duel energy without having to duel." She continued.

Zane asked, though felt reluctant to believe, "How is that possible?"

"It'll all be answered once you," She referred to Chazz, "get your memories back."

"Memories?" The half male was confused. He didn't remember a lot in the past, but that was natural wasn't it.

"I can't tell you anything because I might say something that'll distort your memories. Before you left for Duel Academy, you actually had no idea what my name was, but after you learned how to feel happiness, you did. You didn't remember your attempts at suicide until you remembered how to stay calm in a way that it didn't bother you."

"Excuse me. Attempts?" Bastion was horrified by this new knowledge. Zane told him that he'll explain that part later. Chazz looked ashamed for being figured out to having been self-harming himself.

The bronze skinned girl continued, "Not only have your memories been returning, so has your gift to heal people. If you hadn't healed Atticus, he would've died on that bed."

Zane was shocked. "Atticus was on the verge of death?"

The watcher nodded. "Chazz can sense duel energy and tell what sorry state their body is in like how he could tell that your boy, Atticus, was malnourished but he was still able to stand and duel because Nightshroud was using his power of darkness to keep him standing. Now without Nightshroud, the abuse his body had been taking would've killed him."

"I didn't even know what was happening." Chazz pointed out. "How did I heal him? Can I do it to Jaden, too?"

"Better not go around healing." She warned. "Jaden will heal on his own terms. You need to concentrate on hiding these powers so no evil guy pops in and tries to take advantage of you." She then answered, "For your first question, it was through your feelings for Zane. You knew if that Atticus guy died, he'd be sad, so subconsciously, you healed him. And when you do that, you're eyes glow silver." She pointed at his irises.

Chazz caressed the skin around his eyes with his fingertips in awe. "Do I get weak when I heal because I felt dizzy after?"

"No. You're just not used to it, that's all. But don't think you can start healing cancer or anything severe like that. You can only restore a person's strength to fight another day."

"So let me get this straight," Bastion began paraphrasing, "Whenever Chazz begins to feel a positive emotion that he forgot to feel, he is given, or more correctly, regains his memories, and the power to heal a person to a certain extent."

"Yup, whiz-kid. And Chazz has other gifts, but you shouldn't force yourself to use them. Don't go all vigilante on me because your emotions are at a delicate stage. And you guys should keep it a secret for obvious reasons like kidnapping to use you as an energy source. Anyway, you should get some rest. You guys still have school tomorrow."

"Alright. Thanks like always, Vivian." Chazz still had so much more to ask, especially about his memories, but he supposed that he was best not knowing because it might hurt his progress in the future.

Bastion stayed for a bit longer to say, "I guess I should be going, too. I'll get the rest of the details from Zane, but for now, we should all rest. See you at dance practice tomorrow if you are feeling well."

"Alright." Chazz watched his dance partner leave, and he felt extremely uncomfortable with Zane being the last one in his room. Especially after doing something so generously without meaning to.

The older Obelisk didn't know how to express his gratitude. He guessed it was best to start with, "There's no way I could thank you enough for what you did."

"I didn't mean to." Chazz said modestly, looking away from him in embarrassment. He shouldn't be, but he didn't know how to approach this situation, so felt like he could stumble into a mistake if he said anything else.

"Still." The grateful blue-haired man insisted. "You didn't only save my friend, but you also saved Alexis's brother from death. You saved a life that we both cared about deeply for my sake. There's no way I could ever thank you for this."

Not knowing what Zane could do, too, he ended up going on his defense mechanism: Yelling.

"Geeze! You don't have to! Like I said, I didn't mean to! Just thank coincidence! Now go, so the Chazz can get his beauty sleep!" He forced the taller man out of his room.

Zane moved his shoving hand to hold him in his arms. "Thank you. Thank you. You've truly made me happy, Chazz."

Hearing those soft spoken words filled with relief and gladness, Chazz let the words sink into his heart. However, it only rehashed a painful feeling inside him. He needed Zane to leave, so he told him, "This is enough. Just hearing you being happy is enough, so go now." He untangled himself from the strong man's grip. He made himself smile. "Good night. " He closed his bedroom door.

He went over to his bed, and stopped in front of his laptop screen to see his own reflection. He did such a good thing, and yet, why did he feel hate for himself instead of happiness?

He could heal people now because he could feel positive emotions, and he had more gifts if he felt more positive emotions. Two of them were happiness and calmness. What else was he supposed to feel...love? For himself? He didn't need to be given gifts to know he should feel that emotion for his own sake, but...

Was that even possible?

._._._.

 **Episode 31-33**

A few days passed, and Jaden and Atticus were still in recovery. Alexis and Syrus watched over them during their free time. Chazz and Bastion spent their free time doing their homework, attending dance practices, and planning dueling strategies together. Bastion was well informed about Chazz's former clinical depression that was now diagnosed as schizophrenia, but he didn't change his attitude towards him. He was already a supportive friend.

Zane came to watch their practices since he wanted to see Chazz's ballet skills. Unsurprisingly, he was impressed. Chazz tried to get him to dance with them, but the man rejected because he wanted to save face. That only made the devious, darkly dressed teen want to make him dance more, but the clever, blue-eyed teen saved himself by telling Bastion about bone breaking and flexing. Chazz saw what he was doing, but he was more than eager to show Bastion the dance. The genius had the same reaction as Zane, which made Chazz laugh in his face.

On the matters of Chazz's powers, they didn't really talk about it since Vivian wasn't up for sharing out of caution, and the three of them couldn't really do anything about it. Emotions were a critically complicated subject that can only be discovered internally, and they didn't want to mess up Chazz's progress, so went about their days normally. Besides, their current dangerous situation could be solved through dueling, and if anyone was injured, Chazz could heal them a little in secret.

But then one day when the dance partners were on their way to practice, Chazz saw a group of female students, and he couldn't help noticing one of them wearing dragon earrings with pink flower studs. He was immediately envious that she was able to wear something so cool mixed with something so feminine and cute.

He could do that. He could...

Bastion was stopped by Chazz's sudden pause in steps, and he made the connections of what was happening from where Chazz was gazing. He didn't say anything, but when they were doing their dance practice, he could tell that Chazz was thinking about those girls, and how he shouldn't dress like them. It annoyed Bastion to see Chazz think that way. He couldn't help proclaiming, "You know...you could pull that off."

"Huh?" The half-male looked at him quizzically. It was the end of practice, and they were alone. At least, they couldn't see Vivian anywhere.

Bastion figured it was time to talk about this, so he repeated, "I said that you could pull off wearing those earrings we saw earlier. Why don't you wear them?"

Chazz looked insulted. "Uhm, hello! It's because it'd look girly! I could just wear the dragon earrings." He claimed, but he expressed to find that unsatisfying.

The genius quipped at him, "That's coming from someone who doesn't care if he plays the female part when we dance." He then pointedly asked, "Why do you care if you look girly? I though the Chazz wasn't ashamed of anything."

"I'M NOT! It's just-AUGH! You wouldn't understand!" The tough duelist tried to walk out of the room.

But Bastion dared say, "What? That you weren't just born a man." The interboy froze from taking another step. No one was near them, and Bastion figured that this was the opportune time to address this problem.

However, Chazz quickly turned around, and silently demanded an explanation through his glare. The half-British male complied to answer, "You want to know how I know, but that isn't what is important, but don't worry. No one else knows. And Chazz, you're perfectly beautiful the way you are." He insisted.

Those words did get through to the interboy, but it only stung the insecure teen's heart. He instinctively went on the defensive, and blurted out, "SHUT UP! If I was perfectly beautiful, then people like me wouldn't be called unnatural by doctors! Parents wouldn't make their own babies go through surgery if they thought that an intersex baby was natural! I'm even worse! While others can choose what gender they want, I can't! You have no idea how frustrating that is! I don't want to be just a boy! I don't want to be just a girl! I don't want to be undefined! Why the hell can I not choose!"

"You don't have to choose." The genius assured him.

But Chazz lashed out the bottled up rage that he had been trying to ignore every day of his life since he was ten, "I tried that! I tried ignoring this problem! And you helped me! But now that I know that you know, how am I supposed to ignore it! These last two months actually felt good after six years of feeling like hell! And now you've done it! Fuck you, Misawa!"

Ojama Yellow appeared. "O-Oi, boss! Calm down!"

"Don't tell me to fuckin' calm down!" Chazz swung his hand at him, but the yellow monster disappeared. "Dammit, were you just making fun of me!" He couldn't help drawing to that conclusion on Bastion, even if it didn't make sense. He knew Bastion wasn't that sort of person, but his emotions were getting high, and he couldn't remain calm, or feel it going numb like it used to. "You were making fun of me, weren't you! I'm a mentally ill case who should be put into a nut house and given lobotomy!"

Bastion saw Chazz beginning to get out of control by how frantic his movements were and his eyes weren't even concentrated on him. He stepped in. "Chazz! It's okay! Everything is okay!" He called out to him as he held his wrists in case Chazz felt like swinging them at him.

"No it isn't! Stop lying to me! If you didn't join the dance club to make fun of me, then you were just pitying me! I'm done with you!"

Chazz forced his wrists free to flee from Bastion, but the stubborn, and well-fit Ra Yellow quickly grabbed him, and held him in an embrace. But that only made the insecure young teen feel like his disgusting body was going to spread a lethal virus into the genius.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" An electrical current broke out of his body, and blasted Bastion away from him. He slid across the floor, and hit his back against the wall. Chazz aghast at what he just do. He quickly went to Bastion's side, and healed him. As he did, he whimpered, "Why did you have to tell me that you know? Why did you have to do that?"

Bastion realized his mistakes as he felt tear drops plop down on his face and slid coldly across his skin. He tried his best to remedy the situation, "It's okay, Chazz. Everything is okay." He asserted. "Just cry it out." he tried to caress the tearful dancer's face, but Chazz slapped his hand away. It was such a weak, hesitant hand, but the discomfort conveyed by the movement made the dance partner draw back.

After nearly three months of spending time together, Bastion thought they reached a fair level of friendship to confront these insecurities, but it looked like his calculations were off. It also seemed he hadn't realized that he wasn't alone when he saw Zane standing there being a witness to this. He must've saw them going into the woods with their troubled expressions.

Vivian was right beside him. She approached them and apologetically revealed, "Sorry Chazz. I knew Bastion was listening into our conversation a few months back, and let him know about you. You must be feeling pretty betrayed right now."

Chazz was silent. No one knew what he was thinking or expressing because his head was nodded down with his bangs shadowing his eyes. Eventually, he stood up, and said, "I don't want to talk to either of you, right now." He walked off, and found Zane standing with his arms crossed. He was in the room, so the reason why he stood there was obvious. They had a relationship filled with an indescribable happiness and closeness that felt too natural for words. Yet, Chazz couldn't bear to talk to him, too.

 _Song: Don't Let me Down - The Chainsmokers (Illenium Remix)_

He walked passed him, and went on to his dorm. Dance practice had to be skipped today, and probably for the rest of the school year.

Chazz was okay with Vivian knowing because it was her job. But not these two who he was supposed to be friends with, and who should know the truth when he was ready to tell them. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to be confident to tell anyone, but this was his secret to tell.

Vivian sighed when he was gone. "You couldn't have waited until he told you?"

"I'm sorry. I thought-"

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Chazz will act like there's nothing wrong between you guys in front of people. You should know he's good because of the acting classes he told you about."

Bastion sighed at his mistake, and asked, "Then am I supposed to act like nothing happened, too?"

"Just in front of other people. Whatever happens in private is our problem."

"What exactly is our problem?" Zane questioned, being the late person to this disaster.

She explained, "Chazz was born intersex, but his father put him as male on his birth certificate. Chazz was given surgery to look like a man, but he still has female parts, which makes him a hermaphrodite. Chazz is definitely bigendered, but he's trying to deny it, which gives him gender dysphoria and insecurities about his body. I was hoping Bastion boy here could help distract him from these distressing insecurities, so he doesn't become self-destructive and fall back to his clinical depression. But I guess I should've given the heads up."

Bastion joylessly apologized, "Again, I'm sorry. I over stepped my boundaries and should've known better. I'm sorry for pulling you into this, too, Zane."

"None taken." The blue-eyed male said. "We don't know how Chazz will come out of this, but I always preferred to face my problems head on. I won't force Chazz to accept himself, but I won't let him make up lies of how I see him. I know I can count on you, Vivian, to make sure Chazz doesn't do anything beyond reckless."

Bastion nodded, "Agreed."

Halfway at the dorm, Chazz went into the forest to lie his forearm against a tree, and have his sleeve catch his tears. He just couldn't hold them in anymore, and he didn't want anyone to see him like this, but life wasn't so merciful.

"Jaden? Where did you go?" Syrus called out, and he thought he found his best friend, but he found a depressed Chazz instead. "Chazz?" He felt awkward for having stumbled across such a confident person like this. "Are you okay?"

Chazz quickly turned away from Syrus, did a power pose, and spoke with clear words, "Of course, I'm okay! I just got dizzy on my walk to the dorm! Looking for Jaden, again, I see. I think I saw that monkey head that way." He pointed at a random direction.

Syrus knew he was lying, and he thought it would be best to leave, but he knew what it was like to be sad and feel alone with no one to stop him from crying. He also knew he should pry into his business, so he simply said, "Okay, but whatever is going on with you Chazz, I know you can Chazz it up, and win." He gently tapped a fist on his back to show that he was cheering for him. "So Chazz it up." He then awkwardly, hurriedly said his farewells.

Chazz tried not to cry again, but his tears didn't feel so painful anymore. He clenched the fabric of his pants as he cried feeling a little bit of happiness amongst his agony.

._._._.

For the next few days, Chazz avoided Bastion and Zane like the plague until Chancellor Sheppard called them in about a vampire possibly being the next Shadow Rider. After the meeting, Zane and Bastion tried to talk to him, but Chazz just hummed and shrugged them off to go plan his strategies against this vampire lady.

When he was done, he went around searching for her, but instead found Vivian sitting on a rocky floor while fishing. That was an odd sight, so he went down to talk to her. He wasn't really mad at her. He wasn't even mad at Bastion or Zane. He just didn't feel comfortable with the guys knowing and seeing what he actually was under the confident person he could be. They weren't close like how he remembered Vivian and him being. He wasn't used to them knowing like he was with her knowing.

He needed time to get used to them looking at him, and reminding himself that they weren't just seeing his flaws. But right now, every time they looked, he felt his flaws magnified, and he felt the immense urge to run and hide from their harmless stares.

Vivian comforted him before he left to report to the chancellor that he didn't find the vampire, but then Chumley arrived and said he found her at the lake. Her name was Camula, and Crowler was to be her opponent, but she wanted Zane. Chazz inwardly snickered and was unable to not tease him about it since he found girls going crazy for someone as expressively bland like Zane to be hilarious. The targeted male kept a stoic face because he didn't want this woman to see his nice side.

During the shadow game, Chazz wanted to help Crowler every time he screamed. The strangely dressed man had the bad habit of trying to put down the students who disappointed him, but he was still a good teacher who did care a lot for his students. But Chazz wasn't allowed to step into the duel or reveal his powers for fear that he would be taken and abused.

Crowler lost in the end, even when Jaden arrived to root for him. The heartless monster took the key and put Crowler's soul in a doll before dumping it like trash. Chazz picked the doll up, and wondered if he had the gift to reverse this but no luck.

They all walked back to the nurse's office to put Jaden back to bed, but on the way, Zane and Bastion both stopped to turn to him. Chazz knew they weren't looking at his genitals or his chest, but he felt like his body parts were trying to flash to them to get their attention to see how disgusting he looked. He forced himself to block the urge to run away. He quickly said, "Sorry. I can't do anything about reversing this."

Zane scowled. "Then it looks like I'll have to duel her. Chazz, I-" He reached to touch his shoulder, but Chazz smacked it away. The act struck them with the descending feeling of awkwardness.

Chazz shamefully looked down, using his bangs to shadow over his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't want to shock you like I did to Bastion. I'm not mad at either of you, but my powers are effected by how I feel, and right now, I'm not ready to be touched at the moment."

"We understand." Zane spoke truthfully.

"We do." Bastion agreed. "We are your friends, Chazz. We will wait until your comfortable with us, so don't feel like you owe it to us to do so."

Chazz was glad for their kindness, and he promised to try not just for them, but also for himself. They caught up with the others for the nurse's office where Jaden claimed that he was dueling her, but Chazz got him caught in a fight against his blanket. He then declared that he should do it, but Bastion was quickly against it since Chazz's soul was far too valuable to lose if Camula had a way to tap into his power. Not that he looked down on Chazz's skills, but they were facing a vampire who may have some nasty tricks up her sleeves to keep herself from losing. Alexis got them to stop arguing so they could work together, except for Zane who left to prepare himself to duel Camula since he was the obvious next target.

Chazz went back to his room to wait until the bats flew across the sky as a sign that Zane was going to duel her. To no one's surprise, the top duelist of the academy was on the verge of winning the duel, but then the low-scum vampire pulled a dirty deal that would've taken Syrus's soul if he won the match. Chazz didn't want to lose either of them. He was close to Zane, but he also secretly liked Syrus as well who would play tricks on him and teased him while he would bully him back. He was relieved yet horrified when Zane unsurprisingly decided to give his life instead.

Afterwards, they were made to leave, and Jaden promised to take her down. Chazz wanted to be the one to do it, and maybe he had the power to prevent that door from taking any of their souls. Vivian was at his room right where he needed her to be. He put Crowler into his drawer, and had Ojama Yellow speak to him, so he wouldn't hear their conversation. He asked Vivian what he wanted to know, and she answered that she didn't know the extent of his powers, but that Jaden would handle it.

"Jaden? Why him?" He was just as capable as Jaden to win this duel.

"The medallion he's been wearing can get rid of that door, but he needs the other half, which that Atticus guy has, but he needs to give Jaden the permission to use it."

"How do you know that?" He didn't remember Vivian being into this sort of magical stuff.

She answered, "I have my informants on ancient, mystical items." a.k.a Yugi Muto with his grandpa's archaeological researches.

What she only said was plausible enough. "Okay, but how is Atticus supposed to give Jaden permission? He's in a coma."

"You're a healer remember, so go heal him right now while everyone is asleep. But you might get in danger, so I'll help you. Everyone is heading to bed now since we're all exhausted, but if any of them are at the nurse's office, we'll use this to keep them out cold." She showed him a small bottle of unknown liquids. "A sniff of this will make them sleep like a rock that not even your Ojama can wake them up."

"I guess I should hide the truth about my gifts from everyone else. Especially Jaden. I can't help getting the feeling that he'll attract more trouble than the Shadow Riders, and he might blab about it in front of them."

"Yup." The actual truth was that the watcher didn't want Jaden to realize that Chazz was Renee. She was given strict orders that no matter what, Jaden could never remember that Chazz was Renee until the amnesiac remembered being Renee himself. That was the real reason why she had Bastion and Zane be all hushed hushed about this. She didn't know if Jaden could ever connect the dots, but it was better safe than sorry.

Next, they snuck into the nurse's office, and had Jaden sniff the bottle. She nodded to the healer next to the unconscious Atticus. He didn't know what to do exactly, but he knew that the best start was to place his hand on the former Nightshroud's forehead. He closed his eyes, and focused on healing him by thinking about Zane, and what horrible things Camula may be doing to his doll body. They needed Atticus's permission to use his half of the medallion, so he pleaded for Atticus to wake up.

A few minutes passed, and nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?"

"Maybe you need to panic." Vivian took out a large axe and began swinging it toward the comatose man. Chazz definitely panicked for Atticus, but it didn't work. "Huh. I guess he needs to be half dead for it to work." She took out a large syringe of who-knows-what.

"Wait! Wait! What about I dance?!" Chazz hurriedly suggested before she jabbed him with unknown chemicals.

"Dance?" Vivian rose both her eyebrows.

"Ye-yeah." Chazz had her lower the needle away from the helpless man. "It takes positive emotions right, and I can't feel happy or calm knowing what's happening right now. And dancing helps me."

"...You won't feel insecure?" She considered suggesting calling Bastion to be her partner, but that wasn't a good idea.

"I'll try not to, but I'll need my-" His ballet shoes were shoved to his face. Vivian was always prepared. Chazz put them on, and placed his coat on a chair. He first warmed up before he started with a simple routine he had been practicing in the enclosed office space. He tried to clear his mind by closing his eyes, and letting his body move about. He had to think of nothing harmful, but he remembered that his harmful thoughts came from his body. From what he was experiencing currently with Bastion and Zane, he didn't have the confidence to go on.

He couldn't believe how selfish and superficial he was. Everyone needed him to do this, but his petty insecurities were preventing him. He used his rage to continue dancing until he felt some damn positive emotions, but all that did was have a single flash of lightning appear. Chazz punched a wall before sinking down to the ground, and punching the floor. Why couldn't he just be confident! Or why couldn't he just shove these insecurities away just to get Atticus to wake up! Why couldn't he?

 _"Because I loathe myself."_

Chazz felt his anger dissipating, and the idea of dancing to save everyone began to mean nothing to him. He was useless anyway. He was just worthless scum. He wasn't even that great of a duelist. He was nothing, and as he thought this, his glass pieces began to lose their light.

Vivian was going to help him, but then she noticed a shadowy figure approaching Chazz, and changed the room into a place of darkness with only the patients on their beds being visible.

 _Song: It's Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill (Acoustic Version)_

The shadow wrapped one arm around Chazz's waist, and held his hand in the other to help him up on his feet. He then positioned the male ballerina for a waltz, and the two stepped across the floor with a lack-luster flow before Chazz felt his body feel interested to move again, and he rearranged his hands to wrap his arms around the shadowy figure's neck. He was a bit taller, but he could still lean his head against the shadow's shoulder, and take in a deep breath through his nose. Despite the shadow's mysterious and ill-fated appearance, it looked like it was healing the hopeless raven.

Slowly, Chazz was able to get on his toes again as they held each other. When his strength came back to him, he leaned away from the shadow, but kept it close as he danced like the dazzling ballerina he was. However, his eyes remained closed and his brows were furrowed. Every time the shadowy figure held his arm or his waist to keep him balanced, his brows loosened. Chazz didn't know why whoever he was dancing with made him feel this way, or why they moved in sync as if their bodies were made for each other. It'd throw him in the air, and catch him, and he felt a rush of intimacy when their bodies slid together, become apart, and then fill him with pleasurable jolts when it touched him again.

Then they came to a momentary pause where an arm was wrapped around his waist, and a hand was placed over his chest. A move like this would've felt uncomfortable and look indecent, but Chazz understood the touch, and nodded. The shadowy figure stepped back and turned into a black swirl of nontoxic smoke that clothed Chazz into a classical ballerina outfit that consisted of a smooth black sweetheart neckline bodice, and a tutu that looked as if it was forged from the feathers of tremendous ravens. Underneath the tutu was the dance belt underneath the leotard. His legs were clothed in nude tights, and his ankles were wrapped by the ribbons of his sleek black pointe shoes. His face was dolled up with purple eye shadow, black eyeliner and mascara. His lips were a luscious red, and his cheeks were a cool soft pink. His dark hair was enveloped in light that lengthened his hair midway down his body, and then put into an updo bun adorned with a silver tiara before it dispersed.

Chazz stood in his new transformation in the dark world, which he knew should be ominous, but instead he felt content in this blackness. It felt so pure and safe as if he had fallen asleep and was now in a peaceful, dreamless world of tranquility. It wasn't an empty world for there was a plethora of emotions. The one he felt most was beauty. He placed his hands on the center of his chest, and yes, he felt the light inside him shine angelically in this serene sea of gentle darkness.

Within this body, He and She felt beautiful.

"Okay, now say 'In the name of Light and Darkness, I will punish you." Vivian dodged the tiara thrown like a boomerang that went back to its owner.

Chazz approached Atticus, and spoke with his boyish feminine voice, "Atticus, I need you to wake up now." She placed her hand on his forehead, and brushed his bangs away, so she could tap into his brain in order to kick start it, so it could start yelling at the poor soul to wake up.

The handsome brunet was soon coming to, but with a confused mind because he was mentally exhausted from the trauma he experienced. Chazz knew he couldn't heal mental injuries entirely, but he was sure that with a sister like Alexis, this young man would be fine.

She smiled down at the former Shadow Rider to assure him that she meant no harm. "Atticus, I know you just woke up from a bad dream, but Zane is in trouble, and you can save him if you give your medallion to Jaden, alright?"

"Zane? Meda..." Atticus did get the message, but it didn't make sense to him. That was good enough for Chazz.

"Good. Now get some rest." She cooed to him.

"Wait...You're..." Atticus had just woken up from a really long nap, and the first thing he saw was a bewitching beauty with delicate silver eyes that looked down at him with a benevolent smile on those magnetic red lips. He was enthralled to wake up to such a mysterious angel who could be a succubus in disguise. "You're beautiful... The most beautiful woman I ever laid my eyes on."

Chazz breath stopped short, and he took his hand away from his forehead, having Atticus return to his slumber. He would wake a few hours later. Unknown to him, his words bought Chazz back to his feelings of insecurities. The darkness disappeared from his body and the room, and he felt the disgust he once felt for his body before again. His arms were stuck to his sides as he took deep gulfs of air slowly to calm himself. "What...What the hell just happen?"

"I don't know." Vivian answered. She had no idea at all where that shadow came from. It was definitely an ally, or at least it seemed like it was. "I'll investigate into it. For now, you should get some sleep for tomorrow's events."

Chazz nodded. That was more important to focus on instead of his insecurities.

After a few hours of rests for everyone, Chazz's spell on Atticus worked, and Jaden arrived with both halves of the medallion, and he won his duel against Camula. Chazz was truly relieved.

They all parted to get some rest again since these events were draining for even active duelists themselves. However, Chazz lagged behind the Slifers since he wanted to talk to Zane who wanted to talk to him, too. Bastion was also present as support and in case anything important was mentioned.

Chazz started, "I know you already told us this before, but are you alright? That weird lady didn't already make you a vampire or anything did she?"

"I'm standing under direct sunlight. You tell me."

"Considering the vampire movies that came out, you could be sparkling or just a halfling for all I know."

Zane mirthfully smirked at that sarcastic quip. "Fair enough. Then see for yourself." He bared his forearms and showed his spotless neck. "No bite marks, so no. I am not a vampire, or a halfling for that matter."

"Good." Chazz nodded, felt awkward, and then went out with it, "I'm really glad that you're okay. And I'm...still not okay. I mean, I'm getting there, and you're going to leave soon, and I don't want us to separate like this."

"You don't have to force yourself out of my expense, Chazz."

"But I want to. Last night or whatever time it was because there was this whole freaky eternal night going on, I helped Atticus wake up so he could give Jaden the permission to give him his medallion, so he could save you."

Zane and Bastion were both astonished. The genius inquired, "You did what?"

Chazz explained, "I got another gift inside me that allowed me to get into Atticus' mind and get him out of a coma, but it happened when I...felt beautiful. Something dark but gentle happened in that nurse's office, that helped me feel that way, and now that I know how that feels, I want to fight for that feeling. I want to get over my insecurities and accept the hermaphrodite I am, so...I expect you, Bastion, to start going to dance practices with me again, and I would like it if you would watch us sometimes Zane." His gaze was on the ground. He was trying not to feel uncomfortable by their stares.

Both men understood and smiled at his determination. They willingly complied to his expectations before leaving him to rest.

Chazz nodded and left to his room. In there, he gave a deep sigh. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and he still felt that loathing feeling for himself, but he knew there was someone to love, and he was going to try to love himself.

Ojama Yellow appeared, "Are you alright, boss?"

"Yeah." He said tiredly as he got ready for bed.

"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling well. And if you don't mind me saying," He floated near Chazz who laid on his cool comfy bed with his blanket warming him like a toaster. "I think you're beautiful, too, boss."

Chazz looked at the ugly duel monster with one eye, and he had to silently admit that Ojama had his cute moments. And Chazz felt like he had his cute moments, too. He saw them as both hideous creatures, but they had their beautiful side, too.

While he slept, Vivian was on the phone with Seto Kaiba. "I have no idea where that shadow came from. I want to say it was Jaden's own, but the Supreme King's power only activates through rage, right?"

"That's only hearsay." The CEO answered. "But I don't want to assume the facts. We don't know if this shadow is a friend or foe. It may have helped Chazz for nefarious motives. Yet, it had proven useful. All three glass pieces were burning brightly."

"All three?"

"Yes. But the new piece that glowed went lifeless again, but it flickered for a second before you called."

"Yeah, earlier he told his new best friends that he was going to try to accept who he is, and Ojama Yellow must've been the cherry on top. I found the duel spirit's brothers, and a whole ton of other duel spirits, but weak ones."

"You don't say." A light bulb went on in the brilliant half-dragon's mind. "I'm going to have to call the Princetons."

Vivian didn't question it. She'll figure out the scheme eventually.

She checked on Chazz to see that he was peacefully sleeping with Ojama Yellow sleeping by his side. She wondered what he was dreaming.

 _The Harsh Darkness repeated with a quizzical tone, "You loathe yourself?"_

 _The nine-year-old Chazz nodded. "But...I know I'll love myself once you're gone..."_

 _The child placed his...hers...its hands on its chest._

 _"That is my hope."_

._._._.

A/N: Hmmmmmmm...I wonder who that shadowy figure could be. Hmmmmm. ;)

So there was some unexpected platonic Angelshipping put in there. Heh, heh, heh.

The next chapter will be the end of season 1, and then season 2 will come! HERE COMES THE LIGHT!

*Gender dysphoria is the distress of being the gender that they are assigned with. The difference between insecurities and gender dysphoria is that insecurities comes mostly from external stimuli while gender dysphoria comes mostly from internal stimuli. In Chazz's case, he is insecure of being born intersex, but he also doesn't want to be just a man or just a woman, so he's experience distressed of having been assigned as a man at birth, and would've felt the same if he was assigned as a woman instead. It's like a loop of stressful chaos where he is insecure about both his genitals, but he doesn't want to get rid of them either.

*I decided on Shunme because when looking at the Japanese translation of Mokuba's (木馬) name and the Kaiba (海馬) name, Mokuba = Rocking Horse; Kaiba = Seahorse. Kaiba is Noe's/Noah's own last name while Mokuba adopted it so there's that horse connection. So Shunme (駿馬) = swift horse. She's gonna hate having to write her name in kanji.


	16. Chapter 16

N: So I rewatched episode 35 in both the dub and the sub which I haven't done in a long time, and wow does Japanese GX feel so serious. Anime Jun is pretty humble to me that Chazz and him could be twins with different personalities. It explains why Manga Jun is the way he is. Though I like Chazz the best because of nostalgia and I love my sarcastic, spoiled rich kid! He's the only spoiled rich kid allowed on this anime! Also at episode 47, anime Jun got a little too creepy for my taste. I mean Alexis was unconscious and you wanted Jaden to lose just to keep feeling your warm fuzzy feelings. And Ryo's being expressive and Fubuki is a little less...Atticus. Like wow. AND SYRUS JAPANESE VOICE IS ADORABLE!

Anyway, There's gonna be a little Princeton brotherly love time! And also CROSS DRESSING JOEY!

._._._.

 **Episode 34-35**

Chazz inhaled deeply whilst gazing into Bastion's determined stare. Their grey eyes peering into each other's souls, and Bastion could see the frightened, insecure interboy beyond the confident male. Chazz could see a friend trying to not insult or hurt him, but be accepting, supportive, and gentle. Ms. Bellaforte could feel the pressure being built into the room even before the heavy music played. She turned it on, and watched her students engage themselves in their pas de deux.

Bastion was obviously still not in Chazz's league, but he was able to look like a pretty decent dancer with the precision to properly hold his dance partner and the strength to lift him to correctly do moves such as the fish dive. His facial expressions were also spot on to give off what the audience is supposed to know about how the character felt.

The intersex teen by birth was as professional as expected on the outside, but on the inside, he was trying to feel comfortable with Bastion's hands touching his hermaphroditic body. Especially when they had to hug facing each other, or having the taller teen's hands be near his breasts, or when he had to sit on his shoulder which made the more muscular teen feel the shape of his privates.

The music soon ended, and their instructor slapped her hands together in a way to make them sound as loud as possible. "Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous! You two could perform that in front of the school, and they would be moved! I decided that you two should perform for the Duel Monster Spirit Day! I already talked to the Chancellor about using the obelisk arena as your stage, and you two will perform at seven in the evening."

"Perform?" Bastion remembered accepting those terms before joining, and he started to feel a little shy. "I don't think I can perform well in front of a crowd. I only danced for three months, and I might make a mistake that could embarrass Chazz."

"We'll wear masks obviously." Chazz told him. "I'm not ashamed of being a dancer, but I don't want scouts from all over the place looking for the Chazz. If we're going to do this, no cellphones or cameras are allowed in the area. We'll wear masks to make sure of that. I'm a duelist first and a dancer second after all!"

Ms. Bellaforte was content with that. "As long as you two can get me more students to join, then that's all I need! I'll go talk to the costume department to make some outfits for you since it's important to support your fellow clubs in the arts! It would also be nice to get the Duel Academy choir to join the performance, too! It will definitely be a wonderful event! See you two tomorrow!"

She left. Bastion also decided to leave to finish some advance work. Chazz decided to go to the Hot springs to relax after having a meal and cooling down. It was supposed to be a relaxing and normal day, but the Slifer couple with Chumley arrived, and Syrus was acting like the little shit he really was.

He panicked when they took his towel! Nobody could see his vagina unless he spread his legs and moves his balls out of the way for them to see, but an accident might happen that'll expose him! He did get his towel back when they noticed something strange happening. He swore that he was going to give Syrus a double noogie while leaving Chumley alone since he was already a painful case.

He was then pulled with the others into another dimension by Kaibaman who dueled Jaden just so he could get over his fear of losing because Winged Kuriboh asked him to. Jaden lost and knocked out. While he was knocked out, the duel monsters crowded around Chumley and Syrus. Chazz looked over to Jaden to see if his spirit key went missing, but it was still there.

"Don't worry." Kaibaman approached him. "I'm not a shadow rider."

"Hmph! Figures since you are supposed to be a replica of Seto Kaiba. There's no way you'd join up with those losers. And why are you talking to me?" Not that nobody wouldn't want to talk to the Chazz.

The duel monster chuckled, "Ojama Yellow had told me about your powers and memories coming back to you."

"He did! That's supposed to be a secret!" He was going to squash that hideous piece of trash now that he's solid!

But the duel monster told him, "Among close friends, no doubt, and don't worry Chazz. Everyone here is a friend, and we'll keep your secret safe since even though you already completed your destiny," The Seto Kaiba replica took the confused duelist's hand and bought it close to his lips. "There are still many powerful foes who will take advantage of your weak state. I'll try my best to protect you," His voice dropped to a husky tone, "My prince." And thus, he kissed his middle knuckle, and lingered there before drawing his lips away.

Chazz felt his cheeks flush vividly pink. It was almost like the real Seto Kaiba was making a promise to him. He almost fell into this act of devotion. "I...I don't need protection!" He returned to his usual stubborn self. Even if this duel monster was like Seto Kaiba, he wasn't going to accept being indirectly called helpless! "We're entering into a world where dueling proves a person's strength, and I am strong enough to protect myself as I am now!"

Kaibaman smirked at his bravado. "I'm sure you are."

"That's right!" Chazz turned away and sat down near the other two Slifers, and he was immediately surrounded by the ugly duel monsters.

Jaden soon woke up, and learned the truth before they were sent back to the Human World. Chazz let the the place to go find Vivian who appeared just when she needed him. He told her about what happened at the hot springs.

"So do all duel monsters know about my powers?" He asked.

"Not all of them. Some duel monsters can't even communicate, and others aren't trustworthy obviously. Kaibaman knows because it's obvious you two met before."

"Met before? I could see duel spirits before?"

"Yes. Some duelists are born with the ability to see spirits. Others do by forming a bond with their cards or being exposed to some supernatural freak accident. Zane is an example. He wasn't born with the gift like you, but he can somewhat hear duel spirits, but he can't see them. The reason is because of his lack of proper duel energy."

That didn't sound right to Chazz. "How can he lack duel energy? He's one of the strongest duelist out there."

"I said lack of 'proper' duel energy. Looks like I'll have to give you a crash course on how it works. Okay, let's start with defining the term: Duel energy is the energy that is used during a duel, and that's putting it dumbly. Duel energy is also a sub category of spirit energy. The spirit is composed of different energies such as there is an energy for love, for work, for friendships, dueling, etc. So when people say you need to put more spirit into something, they unknowingly refer to the energies in the soul."

"Oh. So it's like how that slacker Jaden has the strength to duel, but none to focus in class."

"Yup. So in a way if you visualize it, it's like a pie chart filled with different colors to represent different energies, and there's a diversity of these pie charts. Also, it's important to note that everyone's pie charts can change. But a soul can only hold so much energy, so when a person gains more duel energy, they will lack energy in other categories to even it out."

"Oh. So the more duel energy someone has, then the more likely they will lose the energy to put into anything else. But what could Zane possibly put more energy into than dueling? I mean he's more duelist than human. He doesn't even show more than half a personality unless he's dueling or there's dueling involved. He's definitely more into it than I am, so why do I see these freaks?"

"That's where I explain the complicated part. You have to pretty much try to visualize it in your head, so imagine two babies. One is Zane and the other is Syrus. The truth is that Syrus was born with more duel energy than Zane."

"What? That's a terrible example." Chazz found it hard to believe, and didn't like how he couldn't help imagining a baby with Zane's head pushed in like a doll. And the same went for Syrus, but the twerp had babyish features anyway. But that hair though...

"Shut up and listen. But you see, there's a split between energy and talent. Zane was born with that talent, but his duel energy is less compared to Syrus' own, but he knows how to ration it. It all really depends on how a person is raised on that duel energy. Syrus could've been a pretty good duelist just like his brother. But Zane had to be a shithead, and not allow him to make his own mistakes, so he could learn from them."

"Hey! Don't call Zane a shithead!"

"Oh sorry. I meant antisocial child Zane was a shithead of an older brother. I heard the backstories, Chazz. Zane is a better person now, but he had no idea how to treat his little brother back then. He saw the cards above his brother. And there lies the problem of why he can't see or properly hear the duel spirits. His energies aren't properly balanced. When you need to use your love energy, you also need a good amount of friendship or familial energy. The same goes with duel energy. People like Zane can't see duel spirits because they lack in the social energy department. He may have a ton of duel energy now, but without the proper energies to back it up to allow him to communicate with duel spirits, then it's not the 'proper' amount. But he's getting better. Probably. Tch."

"Huh..." Chazz let the information sink in and figured that Bastion can't see them because he wasn't born with the gift like Jaden and him and his energies were also imbalanced like Zane's. He also pointed out to his childhood friend, "You really don't like Zane, do you."

"Pretty, talented boys like him tick me off, but that's a natural reaction. Nothing personal."

Chazz snorted, "Reminds me of how much you didn't like our classmate Dennis. Anyway, then why can't Alexis see duel spirits? She's a strong duelist and she's popular. Was she born with weak duel energy, too?"

"Possibly. Everyone is different where some people can gain and lose energy in different amounts for different reasons. You're a special case, Chazz. Anyway, Winged Kuriboh doesn't know since he's close to Jaden."

"Why does it matter if he's close to Jaden?" Chazz didn't consider him an enemy. Just a rival.

The observant female answered, "You already know that boy attracts trouble, and gets into trouble. Not even his elemental heroes know about you in order to keep you safe until you have all your memories back." Then she smoothly changed the subject, "Anyway, what are you planning for Spring Break?"

"Spring break?...Oh right, it's the middle of March. Spring Break is next week. I wonder if the Chancellor will let us go."

"He will. The spirit keys can't open the gates until they beat you in a duel, so all the chancellor has to do is keep them hidden until you guys come back and serve as targets again."

"Right. Then...I guess I'll go back to my home, and maybe my brothers will be too busy to spend time with me..." Chazz had mixed feelings about that. He loved his brothers, but he knew he shouldn't since he saw them as abusive but he felt like he needed them to be. He didn't know why. He didn't think too hard because he was afraid that he might make up memories.

Vivian let him wonder on that. Kaiba already had something planned for tomorrow anyway.

And so the next day, Chazz was sent to Chancellor Sheppard's office where he was told that he had to duel Slade in order to save the school. However, the conditions were that he could only duel with duel monsters with five-hundred attack points or less. That was impossible since Chazz's deck was filled with too many strong monsters that only Ojama Yellow was left to use. He had to throw in the towel and didn't care about all the whispers, and just got upset when Jaden stood up for him with the others because why he couldn't duel should've been obvious. No surprise that only Zane understood why he had to. Yet, Professor Banner told them about there being a well where duelists dumped their weak cards.

Chazz didn't hesitate to go searching for these cards, but to his misfortune, Jaden had to follow him to find the well, and was singing some kind of annoying song. He did his best to ignore him, and they found it.

Inside, Ojama Yellow reunited with his brothers. Chazz was annoyed and secretly jealous of their brotherly love. He was about to bail because he did not sign up to have more duel spirits around. He still wasn't used to Ojama Yellow being around. But then when they pleaded for him, he just couldn't leave them alone. It didn't feel right. Even if a part of him felt very uncomfortable by it, he knew he had to, so he took every single card in that well.

"Wow, are you going to use all of them, Chazz?" Jaden asked while they were walking back to the dorm room. An army of weak duel monsters were right behind them and chatting about how excited they were to finally be free.

The Chazz answered, "Of course not, idiot. I'll just use the ones I need, and leave the others in my drawer or something."

"Oh right, but seriously Chazz. It was awesome of you to agree to take everyone. So you do have a soft side to you!"

"Don't be a joke! I only took all of them because I rather pick out who's useful in my room." He somewhat lied.

"But you don't plan on throwing them back in the well, right?" The energetic teen questioned with an irritating, knowing smile. Chazz just growled at him. "See! You're definitely a nice guy! And hey, maybe I could help you make a deck! And for the ones you aren't going to use, maybe I could take some off of your hands!"

Chazz didn't want to spend time with this slacker, but there were more three hundred cards, and Jaden knew more reliable people who wouldn't mind taking some of them off of his hands. Chazz couldn't help feeling like he was setting up a pet adoption agency.

The two reached his room, and Syrus and Chumley joined them in sorting out the three hundred some cards. They also knew some people who'd love to have some of these cards. They may be weak, but they had their uniqueness and special abilities that could fit in a deck. After a few hours of sorting them out, Chazz picked the ones he wanted, and also kept the ones who wanted to remain by his side for some reason like the Ojama brothers and surprisingly the unhappy maiden.

When everyone was gone with their new cards, Chazz arranged his deck. The battle wasn't until the day after tomorrow, so he decided to ditch curfew, and go out at night after ordering all the spirits to stay put so he could clear his head. He wanted to avoid thinking about his brothers. Not because it angered him, but because it confused him. When he was emotionally unstable before, he just knew to expect their abuse. But now that he's stable, he couldn't help thinking that he actually desired their abuse. As if he made them abuse him because he forced them to. He didn't see himself as a masochist, so he didn't understand why.

He knew he couldn't find the answer until his memories were restored. If only the shadow could arrive again, and make him feel the way it made him feel that night. He remembered the way it danced with him. The way it's arms were strong and the handle was a little rough yet pleasurable. The way its hands slid across his being in their intimate embrace as if it truly cherished each and every curve of him. The way it made him feel beautiful like a woman but privileged as a man. He blushed when he remembered the way it magically removed his clothes to become the fabric that beautified and caressed his skin. Especially the dance belt that's practically a thong. He was so glad he took a shower and everything before the event. Chazz always liked being smooth as a porpoise.

He smiled at the memory.

And yet...he didn't feel beautiful now. He didn't feel comfortable with what he is or who he is. And that really annoyed him. He wanted to be able to feel beautiful on his own. He appreciated the shadow for showing him the way, but he hated how he wanted to depend on it.

"I'm supposed to feel beautiful on my own, right." He looked up at the full moon that illuminated with such a beautiful glow from the sun's rays. "I guess not. But you only take around ten percent. The rest is your own work. I guess the rest was mine, too. It just danced with me and dressed me up. I felt beautiful on my own terms. I guess the reason I don't feel beautiful now is because I'm thinking about myself while at that time, I wasn't. I was just concentrating on the good things. But if I want to be truly beautiful...If I want to love myself, then...I have to stop running away, and learn to work on or accept the bad parts of me, too...Like I would with someone I love. I'm trying to do that, but that's easier said than done."

He sighed, feeling only worse.

But then, "Aw boss! We think you're beautiful, and we love you lots!" Ojama Yellow cried out, and all the duel spirits he strictly ordered to stay in his room all charged at him and gave him a ton of earnest compliments and kisses and hugs! He kept yelling at them to leave him alone, but he got submerged by their love, so he called it a night, and went to sleep with ear plugs on. He was secretly happy, though. He always liked attention. He wasn't sure since when though.

On the next day, Chazz skipped classes to plan his strategies with his new cards. He didn't want to be bothered by anyone, so he asked Vivian for a place where no one would think to look for him. She bought him to the abandon dorm. She actually snuck some people onto the island to clean up a room for him. He was astonished when he saw that the room looked brand new and there was no funky smell or bugs at all crawling around. Chazz wanted to sleep here instead, but considering the ominous stuff that went down in that dorm, he had to pass.

"Won't people question about this if they find the room like this?" He asked.

"I don't give a crap." It wasn't important anyway. "So take all the time you need here."

"Yeah, but before you go, have you figured out anything about that shadow?"

"Nope. I had my top team investigate the scene, but it looked as if your shadow guy just appeared out of thin air and left just the same. Don't fall in love with it, Chazz. It may make you feel all fuzzy inside, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a dick."

The virgin duelist blushed bright red. "SHUT UP! I'M NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Not bisexual or not kinky?"

"You know what I mean! Geeze! Why do you always have to be so crude?!" Chazz stomped over to the comfy bed by the window. It felt warm since the sun rays were on it earlier.

Vivian snorted, "Whatever."

His duel spirits appeared after she left. "Boy boss, she sure can be mean at times, but I like her. She's very honest and caring." Ojama Yellow commented.

"So who're you gonna play for the big match!" Ojama Black questioned.

"It's definitely us because we're a team!" Ojama Green declared.

"Whatever. A lot of you are going to be sacrifices anyway until I can play this card." He showed them Chaos Necromancer.

"Him!" They all turned to Chaos Necromancer, and he blushed by their supportive words and compliments.

"So does this mean you already have a strategy?" Spirit of the breeze asked.

"Of course, I have. Slade's only an amateur and I know how he duels."

"Meow?" Catnipped Kitty curt its head to the side curiously.

The duelist knew what it was asking, "It's because I dueled him before." Soul tiger curiously growled about that. "It happened back when I was a kid. Slade had a habit of throwing in powerful monsters without really thinking about using trap and spell cards. Jagger knew how to play the cards, but he couldn't beat me because I knew how to use them better."

"That's a surprise." Ojama Yellow said. "The seemed really mean to you when I saw them."

"They are, but that's because they have to be..." Chazz felt like he didn't say that on purpose. Words were just falling from his mouth like he just sprung a leak. "I don't know. I have memories missing, and I can't figure them out until I feel something good inside me." He was given ridiculous advice on how to do it, but he ignored them to continue as he got comfortable. "Slade's a politician. He's not really that smart, but he's a decisive person. He knows what's right and wrong, inspires people to work hard, listens to them, and isn't ashamed to asks a lot of questions because he's inquisitive like that, and knows that some people will need those answers. He's a leader like that. He's also pretty good at any sport that gets a person moving, and can also drink a ton of alcohol and stay fit and good looking for the campaign. But that's because Jagger takes care of him afterwards. Jagger isn't actually my brother. He was adopted into my family since he was a genius with math. He's a big nerd who can act like a pretentious jackass, and he honestly doesn't care who he shoves under a bus to get what he wants. I even think he destroyed a few corporations and families without leaving any evidence behind."

"Whoa. He sounds scary, boss."

"Yup. He's pretty much the one in our family who does all the dirty work behind the scenes. But don't get me wrong. He can be a good person. He know the value of anything or anyone he sees and touches, which is good so nobody is sold too small. He helped a ton of charities reach their goals. Although, it was only to make Slade look good..."

 _"I win again!" A seven year old Chazz said joyfully after beating Slade in another duel._

 _"What? No way! And here I thought I finally had you figured out!" The politician groan. "It's a good thing I'm not the president huh, or we'd be losing wars."_

 _"It's because you ignore your spell and trap cards, and even when you use them, you don't know how to play them right!" Chazz lectured him with a cheeky grin. "How in the world did you become a senator?"_

 _"Okay, that's enough out of you, short stack." The older brother playfully ruffled his hair. "Besides planning things out takes weeks, probably even months or years to get something going! Something as fast paced like this doesn't suit me. It's either play hard or wait forever for your big brother to play a card."_

 _"Yeah, you suck."_

 _"Okay, now you're asking for punishment." Slade playfully warned, and Chazz just snickered, which got him attacked by the evil tickle monster! "RARR!"_

 _"No! No! Bwuhahahahaha!" Chazz was helpless against the spider-like fingers, and then had his stomach blown on which made a ticklish fart sound. "EW! I'm not a baby anymore, Slade!"_

 _"Please. To me, you'll always be my baby brother." He poked the little mohawk boy's cheek, and Chazz pushed his tongue out. Slade withdrew it and tongue went back in. He poked and tongue went back out. They repeated this a few times before they heard Jagger giggling at the entrance of the family room._

 _"You two are a comedy duo." He snickered._

 _"Jagger! You're done with work?!" Chazz asked excitedly!_

 _"I'm only taking a break. I worked too fast for those I work with, so I have an hour or two before I have to make their corrections." He modestly gloated. His fingers brushed Slade's messy hair to the side, and his thumb caressed his lower eyelid. "I see that you've been sleeping properly now that you're on your short vacation."_

 _"Yeah! We've dueled all day, and Slade sucks!"_

 _"Oi! Don't let me tell him about how much you suck at playing Wii!"_

 _"But the sticks are always broken! There's a bug in the system! And you also suck at chess!"_

 _"Well you suck at football!"_

 _"You suck at kissing! Jagger told me so!"_

 _"What?!" Slade glared at the traitor._

 _Jagger looked away with his hand covering his smile. "I may have muttered that accidentally."_

 _"Accidentally?! Why would you mutter about something like that! How could my kisses suck! You only kissed-"_

 _"Pfft! Hahahaha!" Jagger laughed at him, and Chazz laughed with him because laughing at Slade was always fun._

 _Slade angrily complained, "Why am I always the one bullied on! I'm the older brother!"_

 _"Because you make it too easy with your short temper. The same goes with Chazz."_

 _"I'm not short tempered! I'm not even short for my age!"_

 _Jagger snorted and bragged, "My perfectly controlled temper shows how much I really am adopted from this family."_

 _Slade felt his angry veins on the verge of popping. "This is one of the sides of you I really don't like."_

 _Jagger just smirked, and sat down next to Chazz. The three of them getting comfy on a sofa. They put on the family feud game show since it required more mainstream smarts than book smarts, and each of them could shout whatever ridiculous answer there was. When one of the contestants answered with something dirty, they just told Chazz to laugh it off and say it was a foreign thing._

 _Chazz was honestly happy. Even with his dragon..._

"Dragon...?" Chazz woke up from his memory. He looked around him to notice that it was sun down, and he already assembled his deck. "Dragon...? Did I have a dragon? Did I know a dragon spirit monster?" He felt a misplaced soft glow of emptiness around him.

Ojama Yellow woke up from his nap with the other duel spirits. "Are you finally done, boss?" He asked with a yawn.

Chazz roughly answered, "Yeah. Thanks for staying quiet."

"Of course! Anything to make sure you get ready for the big event tomorrow!" Yellow stood with his brothers in front of him.

"Together we're going to take down your brothers, and show them what true brotherly love is!" Black promised.

"Because good bros support each other!" Green preached.

Chazz looked down at these ugly monsters, and how they cared for one another, but had their moments of throwing each other under the bus. It was a fun family that Chazz felt like he could empathize with instead of sympathize with. He remembered a joyful love with his brothers, but he couldn't feel it. That irritated him. He wanted to feel that feeling again, and he was the type to get what he wanted.

"That's right. Good bros support each other."

He got up and stretched, and then laid back down to sleep. Ignoring the fact that he was sleeping in the abandoned dorm.

._._._.

The next day came, and Chazz destroyed Slade with monsters with only zero attack points. He saved the school, and his brothers saw how much of a star he grew into. It was a feast for their eyes to see their brother smiling after a duel. They went to the locker room where Vivian left after reporting to them that they did a good job, and Chazz now had a ton of duel monsters spirits to watch over him. They were weak, but they were mostly meant to help protect the duelist emotionally.

Slade felt his heart expand in the enormous space of his chest as it could finally beat without the burden of his actions. "Finally! The nightmare is over. Our little brother is no longer ever alone, and he'll only get better from this point forward." He tried to hold in the tears, but he couldn't help it. Chazz was feeling better, and becoming a great duelist with friends who won't abandon him. He had a new family and Slade was more than happy to hand him over to them if it meant that Chazz breathe a happy breath again and again.

Jagger merrily smiled at his lover. "Now, now, you big baby." He hugged him to act as his shoulder to cry on. He contently said, "I'm also relieved that he's getting better." Slade wrapped his arms around him to tighten the hug, and breathed in the scent of his partner in crime.

The two then leaned away from the hug, and locked eyes. The two have them have gone through so much hardships that didn't only involved Chazz, and they still stood together looking at each other as if they nabbed the most perfect person in the world. They kissed that perfect person in a cherishing manner that they could muster at that very moment.

"Jagger. Slade. I-WHAT THE HELL?!" Chazz walked in wanting to talk to his brothers, but then he was hit by the sight of them making out really passionately!

"Chazz!" They cried out simultaneously. Their younger, pure brother with amnesia was gawking at them. "Chazz, I-we-"

"HOW COULD YOU SLADE!" He pointed at his older brother accusingly. "I know Jagger is adopted, but to put your moves on him?!"

Slade was dumbfounded at the misunderstood accusation. "Wait! What?! What makes you think I put the moves on him!"

"Oh please! Jagger is too much of a nerd to think about relationships! What did you do? Use your good looks and manipulation when his guard was down?! I always knew you were a beast, but this is taking it too far!"

Jagger felt a vein throbbed. "What do you mean 'too much of a nerd', and what makes you think I can be manipulated?" A deadly dark aura poured into the room, making the Princeton brothers' spines shiver. But it disappeared after the deadliest man in the family gave a sigh and figured that it was a good time to reveal the truth.

"Chazz, Slade and I have been in a relationship since you were three. I was the one who confessed because unlike Slade who was too busy getting beaten the ever loving crap out of him by our father, I was able to realize my own feelings first."

Chazz grimaced at the fact about Slade. "But...Did I know about this before?"

"You did."

The little brother took a moment to try to remember, but he was coming off blank, but in his heart, he was sure. "I accepted this before, didn't I."

Jagger smiled proudly at their little brother. "Yes. It was only a year later, and you banned us from getting near your room because we kissed next to your door, and you wanted to go to the bathroom." He fondly remembered.

Chazz couldn't remember, but there's one thing he didn't quite remember, but he knew was the truth. He knew the answer would crush him, but he had to ask, "We were so happy before. But now...For the last six years, the reason you guys have been so hard on me is because I asked for it, right? I don't know why, and I want to figure it out on my own. But...did I?"

Jagger's frown said the answer, but Chazz waited for him to say it in between those lips that harshly spoke at him. His adopted brother looked to Slade who also looked reluctant to tell him, but they knew this was finally their threshold from their miserable lives. They just had to help Chazz overcome his guilt. They both answered with those mouths that once dripped with poison, "Yes."

 _Song: Unsteady - X Ambassadors_

Their little brother stared at them wide eyed. It was true after all. Something happened to him that made him force his brothers to abuse him. Slade had been abused himself, and he turned his own brother into the abuser. His breath hitched, and his mind swayed. He could hear the voices,

 _"CHAZZ, PLEASE STOP!"_

 _"Please Chazz! You don't have to go any farther than this. You are already on the edge! Come back to us!"_

 _"I'm useless...I can't love you. Even when I know how...even when I know what love is...I can't."_

 _"Just breathe, Chazz. It's just another bad day. Not a bad life. You can overcome this without going overboard!"_

 _"Stop jabbering! Just take him off of there!"_

 _"He needs to make this his own choice because he'll only attempt this again, but the next time, it might not be somewhere so public."_

 _"He's right...I remember someone able to break away from immense tragedy through near death because they hit their lowest point. I thought I was when I woke up to find myself unable to do anything that I once loved. I thought I was when I began to forget the faces of everyone I was supposed to love. And now, even when I am here, I still feel like I haven't reached any lower. Where is it? Where is the lowest point?"_

 _"Maybe there isn't...Your pain is different than my first mother's. You both lost people you love by the same monster, and you're being choked by guilt. But the monster only took away her identity. Can you remember that, Chazz? She told us that she was a hero not to be looked up to because she regretted her attempt at suicide. She believed no one has to go that far to get back up again. If only she had gone to a place where she wasn't alone, then she believed that she didn't have to do that. So much has been taken from you, Chazz, but you are here with people who love you, and willing to go through any harmless craziness to help you at least get on your feet and get you at the right direction! Anything would be better than this! I'll play the villain if you need me to!"_

 _"But what...what purpose do I have?"_

 _"I don't know, but we'll make something up just to get started because every beginning has a shitty rough draft! Your purpose is to be the best duelist out there! To be the next king of games!"_

 _"To rule the world!"_

 _"SHUT UP, LIGHT!"_

 _"To...rule the world?..I'm sorry for being an idiot. I'm sorry for being a slacker. I promise to try better next time, so please, don't be so mad."*_

Chazz collapsed to his knees once he remembered his first attempt at suicide, and what ultimately changed his life for the worse. There were voices he didn't recognize, but he remembered his brothers desperately crying for him to get down from the edge of death. He felt his heart about to break, but Slade helped his lifeless body up, and told him, "But we did it to get you back, and here you are. You're almost home again, and we'll continue being the villains if it's for you. It did kill me to be hard on you, but it would've killed me more if you made that jump! To hold you here. To hold your breathing body with a heart pounding strong, that's..." Slade had to breathe in deeply as he was also coming off short on breath. "That's the most precious thing in the world that I could ever hold onto."

Jagger, who never dared showed weakness, was also in tears. "You're ours, Chazz." He said without a shred of doubt. "Nothing but old age will ever separate us, and even then, that's only for a short time. And all that time we waited and will wait, you're worth it."

Chazz felt his heart break in two, and that effected one of the glass piece in the safe. It split in two, and one of them shone so brightly. The other glass piece that symbolized his self-worth glowed dimly, but consistently like the other two. Right now, he felt so much love for his brothers, and the tears he shed were a mixture of grief, relief, and that indescribable happiness of finally coming home.

Slade carried him onto the bench, and let him lie his head on his lap. His trousers became soaked by the tears his little brother wept as he repeated over and over again, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

They said nothing. Just let their silent gestures do the talking. Slade's rough fingers, that once smacked Chazz to the point he bled, gently pushed his bangs to the side and the handkerchief he had was used wipe some of the tears and snot away. Jagger's hands that once grabbed his collar and slapped his face to make sure he had his attention on him, held his hands with a comforting thumb caressing his hand while his legs were over his.

When Chazz could find his bearings, he had his brothers come to the dance studio, and from there, he danced for them again like he would when he was five.

" _The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller"_

._._._.

"What in the world just happened?" Seto questioned the brothers when they arrived back. He noticed that they appeared more whole and refreshed, so it must be something good. "Right after your duel with Chazz, one of the glass pieces that haven't glowed yet broke in half and only one of those halves are glowing, and the one that did glow but died out is not glowing consistently."

Slade told him about how Chazz remembered the first time of how he tried to commit suicide, and some of the rest of his memories, but they only revolved around his brothers. Others involved remained a mystery to him.

Jagged suggested, "It's best that Chazz remembers you and the rest before Light and Darkness Dragon or any of his past incarnations. We are not sure if we can help him through that type of breakdown since we weren't there when it happened."

"Then it's a good thing that spring break is the day after tomorrow. You two cleared your schedule for the week, I assume."

"Yes." They replied. It wasn't easy to get ten days free, but they did since Chazz was at a delicate transition in his life. They needed to be there to make sure it turned out for the best.

._._._.

 _Song: Shine - Cassidy Ladden and Kelly Sheridan from Barbie in the 12 dancing princesses_

The day before spring break, Chazz skipped classes again to spend his time dancing at the dance studio with Vivian singing and playing the piano while his duel spirits watched him in awe. He did come to a horrifying memory yesterday with his brothers, but he knew he should celebrate because he was alive. He couldn't live in regret and grief because that would not only drag him down, but also his brothers. He had to look forward to the future with them.

Bastion and Zane soon came to the studio where they found him dancing with a smile filled with confidence and love. They were pleasantly surprised to see him dancing in a romantic tutu with loose sheer off-the-shoulder sleeves that gave off the illusion of small wings from behind. They watched him without a word, and when he saw them, he came to a timid stop.

He let them get a good look of him wearing what females commonly wore. He also had makeup on to appear more feminine. He didn't pierce his ears yet, but he was considering it. Bastion and Zane looked at him with supportive and pleased gazes. The bigender duelist still felt incredibly uncomfortable by it, but he slowly began to feel their stares were the same as Vivian's.

Bastion had his dance wear on, so he mimed to dance with the female side of Chazz. She hesitated at first, yet accepted. Zane simply watched with the other duel spirits.

After it ended, Chazz's dress dispersed into sparkles. His makeup was gone.

"That was made out of your powers?" Bastion questioned.

"Yeah. It just happened like the night I got Atticus out of a coma. I'm hungry."

"Let's go to my room. I'll order room service." Zane offered, and they accepted, except for Vivian who needed to pack up.

When they went there, Chazz and Bastion took care of their feet with the products Zane had available in his room. The food then arrived just in time for them to eat and talk. Chazz didn't want to share about his suicide story, so he just focused on how him and his brothers were on better grounds, and he was more than eager to spend time with them during spring break. The other men were surprised by this, but they were happy nonetheless. Bastion was going back home to make sure his little siblings didn't destroy his room while he was gone. He had an important ant farm in there. Zane was going back home with Syrus, and their parents had plans for a camping trip. Syrus was less than thrilled to go, but it would be the first time the two brothers could get along. Alexis was going to remain in Duel Academy with Atticus since he still had amnesia. Chancellor Sheppard was still going to take the spirit key from her until the break was over because even she deserved to relax after what Camula put them through.

"Are you able to give him back his memories, Chazz?" Zane inquired.

The ravenet shook his head. "Sorry. The last time I was in his head, I noticed that a huge chunk of his memories were taken away from him. The only way it could be given back is by dueling the shadow rider who has them."

"Then it's a waiting game." Bastion said. "I'll miss you over the break, Chazz. I hope it goes well between you and your brothers."

"Hmph. Thanks Bastion. You've been a great friend." He gave the Ra Yellow a kiss on the cheek before cheekily adding, "Even if you are a complete nerd." The genius was completely caught off guard by the kiss, but he supposed that Chazz was unlocking his inner feminine cuteness.

"Don't I get a kiss, too?" Zane kid.

But Chazz bothered to give him one, too. "Of course. I'm not stingy with my kisses." He kissed the corner of his forehead, and when he drew back, for a moment, Chazz saw Zane's face appear more feminine with his focused yet calm cerulean eyes. His body wearing an armor that was similar to what a knight would wear.

"Now it's our turn." The two of them kissed his cheeks.

Chazz joked, "Oh yes. It's good to be the Chazz."

They all laughed.

._._._.

Spring Break arrived, and Chazz went back home to find the whole mansion had been redecorated. He supposed his brothers did it to symbolize their fresh start. He was then informed by them that they cleared their schedules, so they could finally do this restart right. Thus, for the first three days, they went to an art museum, saw a ballet, attended one of Jagger's nerd parties which was hell for Slade and Chazz, and then went to the beach where Slade wore a speedo to show off his muscular hotness for the paparazzi. Jagger and Chazz rolled their eyes when the man tried to be subtle, but he was obviously posing.

During that time, Chazz began remembering little bits of memories of doing some of these things with them before. These memories gave him mixed feelings, but the one feeling that he felt the most was relief. Getting these memories back meant that him and his brothers were reconnecting like before.

However, Slade's time with Chazz had to be cut short. Apparently, there was some huge thing happening, and Slade was needed big time to handle it. Chazz was okay with that. He even told Jagger that he could get back to work, too. These last three days were truly the best time of his life after six years of hell, and he knew that they would have them again, and that was reassuring for all three of them. The brothers dutifully went to work, but promised to have dinner together.

Chazz decided to go out to the city to check out the shops with his duel spirits. He didn't care if people stared at him for talking to himself. His brothers watched him talk to his duel spirits for the last three days, and they didn't care if he did it in public. It's not like he was hurting anyone, and he wasn't spouting some end of the world bullshit.

He stopped at some of the shops when his duel spirits asked him to, and let them wonder around for a bit while he bought some small things for them. They were intangible spirits, so he could only buy things that they liked to look at such as a vase full of fake pink roses so they didn't die for unhappy maiden, a fake potted plant for catnipped kitty to play with the leaves, incense for soul tiger, a music box for spirit of the breeze, some Elvis Presley music for the Ojama brothers, a painting of stringed puppets for chaos necromancer, and other stuff for his other duel spirits. He had his chauffeur come to pick it up and have it all sent back to his room.

He continued to walk along the sidewalk, but then stopped when a dress caught his eye. It was a glow-in-the-dark, strapless, trumpet gown that looked like a waterfall of falling stars. There was another one that appeared to be a white, a-line, dress with an embroidered sweetheart bodice and cap sleeves. When the lights were off or even dim, it looked like the starry part of space was painted on it. There was also one that looked like the skirt was on fire.

The female side of Chazz wanted to wear them so badly with the shoes that went with them. Yet, when his attention turned to the window, he saw himself and the reflection of everyone behind him. He felt a great, spontaneous sense of fear of everyone around him. Obviously, many of them wouldn't care, but his breathing still quickened, his heart raced, and his muscles tightened.

He was about to turn and run away, but then a blonde woman was in his way, and...wait...

 _Song: Over the Rainbow - Todrick Hall_

"Ah, these dresses are really cool. It'd be awesome to wear them at de wedding I was invited to, but I don't want to upstage the bride." He turned his attention to Chazz with a famous bright grin. "Do you want ta buy one, too? There's no shame in that."

Chazz's eyes widened at the sight of thee Joey Wheeler wearing makeup with blond extensions. The former duelist was also wearing a red and black plaid shirt, sleeveless grey halter top, women's skinny ripped black jeans and comfortable shoes. The look was ironically tomboyish for the man. "Yo-You're Joey Wheeler! The best friend of the King of Games, and third best duelist in the world, but became retired before marrying Seto Kaiba! What are you doing here?!"

The former actor was glad to see that his Chazz recognized him. Not for their past relationship, but at least this made it easier for him to hang out with his favorite brat. "Glad to see that even if I'm a retired duelist, I still get some recognition! And I know who you are! Yur brothers were trying to buy out Duel Academy from my husband, but you were able ta beat dem with duel monster wit' no attack points! Man, isn't that impressive! Wished I would've seen such an awesome duel! Wanna go grab a bite?"

"A bite?" The young duelist was completely shocked by such a frank invitation.

"Yeah! I'm starved! So want to?"

"U-uh, yeah!" Chazz couldn't believe that he was going to eat with the spouse of Seto Kaiba, and best friend of King of Games! It was like a miracle just happened!

The two found a restaurant nearby where they could talk in private without people bothering them, and they started with some small talk about what they've been doing recently before Joey pointed out, "Surprised to find that you haven't asked about why I'm dressed like this."

Chazz was surprised by that. "Should I? Your past as a crossdresser is a huge part of your history because you are one of the most influential people who paved a way for men to feel comfortable with wearing women clothing..." It then hit the teen. "Wait, did you pick me up because you knew I wanted to wear that dress?" The cross dresser did ask him if he did earlier.

"Ah, you caught me." The brown-eyed blond admitted unapologetic. "Actually it was just an opening for me to talk to you. I mean you're an awesome duelist! I saw you duel against that hyperactive kid, and you might have lost, but you really had some stage presence! And what was your cheer? Chazz it up? Man, I wished I would've thought of a cheer for myself! Why wouldn't I want to talk to you?"

The grey-eyed ravenet blushed by the compliments. "Tha-thanks. I know that other stuff about you because everything is pretty much on your blog."

"You've seen my blog?"

"Just once a few years ago. It's truly inspiring, but at that time, I...I thought it wasn't meant for me." The hidden queer regretted that mistake.

"Huh. What about now?"

"I haven't had the time to think about it. What with having to attend Duel Academy, extra activities, and trying to avoid some people. I am getting more comfortable with myself, but not really."

Joey smiled happily for him, which looked like a surprising facial response to his answer. "That's good to hear. You're getting somewhere. If you have any problems, I'm here to help. How about we trade phone numbers?" He already had his phone out. The tee awkwardly tried to hurry his own out, and it slipped a bit, but Joey was able to grab it. As he did, their fingers slipped, and Chazz felt a searing warmth that nearly burned him like the sun. Strangely it felt familiar. Not one to want to feel things halfway anymore, he grabbed hold of Joey's hand and he felt the immense darkness that powered this male, but within that darkness was a scorching light that overcame that darkness, yet not destroy it.

Chazz's eyes glowed silver, and that had Joey's eyes gleamed a red that he swore he saw before. "We...Did we meet before?"

Joey was surprised that a simple touch would jump start his memories a little, but he was fused with Red Eyes Black Dragon, so he shouldn't be surprised. "Yeah, but you can take your time remembering that. Right now, I want to get to know the new Chazz who wants to wear dresses!"

It then donned on the teen of why Joey Wheeler truly wanted to talk to him. They knew each other in the past, and they were close if that loving smile was a clue. It also meant other things. "Then I must've known Seto Kaiba and the King of Games and your friends, and...others?" He furrowed his brows when he couldn't remember more.

"Whoa! Whoa! None of that!" The blond poked the crease between his brows. "You can take your time! Let's focus on the here and now! I'm not looking for the old Chazz. I'm here for the new one who's just as good!"

"Just as good?" The skeptical teen arched an eyebrow at this guy he supposedly met before.

"Yeah! So maybe you changed, but who doesn't? But one thing is for sure is that even through the course of time, a person still keeps their little habits like the irritatin' way you can turn from a brat to a polite kid like it's natural. Also, the way you hate to eat your carrots, and your love for fried shrimp, and the fact that you still love my husband!"

Chazz went beat red! "I-I don't love Mr. Kaiba! I mean, I idolize him, but I don't love him!"

"Ha, ha. You ain't foolin' no one!" Joey teased the cute kid he knew, and then his grin settled into a warm, assuring smile, "So don't go trying to remember too quickly. I guess it would be pretty awesome remembering meeting legends like us, but you should already know that there's a reason dat ya lost your memories in the first place, so before you go rememberin', ya bettah have a good foundation of friendships to handle de truth. You get me?"

Chazz nodded. He knew that there would be memories too raw to take, so he followed his advice. He already had his brothers back with Zane and Bastion as his new friends, the duel spirits as his second family, and now that he knew that he had three legends as his past allies, he felt confident that he had the best support to handle the truths. But he didn't want to get ahead of himself. Emotions and thoughts were fickle, and it could make him betray the people he loved again. He had to reassemble his support, and strengthen it, so he didn't repeat history.

He set that as his goal, and he was going to take action. "Tha-thank you for waiting for me like my brothers did! I'd like it if we could spend more time together, so I won't run away from my past again! I'm in your care!" He bowed his head a little too hard that he smacked his face into his potato salad. He was too ashamed to pick his head back up, especially when he could hear the man's snickering. Joey really didn't mean to laugh at him, but that was just hilarious! Chazz ran away to the bathroom to splash cold water on his boiling salad face. After he calmed down from his embarrassment, Joey agreed to spend more time with him, and he figured that the best way to spend their time was to help Chazz feel comfortable being a woman, and he had a great plan!

"Dre-dress up as a girl for a wedding? Are you crazy?" Chazz was in the limo with Joey.

"And do a little dance number for the couple! But if you want to back out, you can, even if it's at the last minute. I cleared it with de couple." The older man announced.

"There's no way I can do that!"

"Don't worry! They won't know it's you! Your brothers already agreed to have you come to the wedding as anonymous, and they'll tell everyone that you left to Duel Academy early, so nothin's stoppin' you, except fer yourself."

"Wait, my brothers knew about this happening?" Chazz felt like he was in a great scheme that he had no idea about.

"It's all for your own good. And again, you can back out if ya want, but let's at least get prepared if ya decide to go through with it after all. And don't worry about de dance. I already got Tea to help ya. She's actually shoppin' with us."

"Tea? You mean the wife of Yugi Muto." Chazz faintly remembered practicing with her at a dance studio, but he couldn't tell whether it was an imagination or a memory. No wonder Vivian kept a tight lip. To make the distinction, he asked, "We danced before?"

"Ah! You remembah! Good! Then you know you'll love her! You two loved dancing together! She was inspired to direct the re-adaptation of the Peter pan ballet by you."

"Peter pan ballet? Oh, I know about that one. That show is considered one of the best re-adaptations of a children's story. I just watched that with my brothers the day before yesterday. I inspired that?" Chazz felt faintly proud of himself. That show sold out just as much as the Dark Magician Girl Broadway show, and it was a magnificent work of art.

"You bet you did. Is Peter pan not your favorite children story anymore?"

"No, it still is..." Chazz guessed he wasn't completely different from his old self after all. There really were pieces of him that still held onto him as if it was a part of him, and that was really comforting to know.

They soon reached the store, and Tea was waiting for them at the front. Her appearance barely changed since her teens since she was perfectly womanly enough since back then. Chazz felt an immense awkwardness as he approached her. He was meeting a friend who cherished him for years while they were apart, and he didn't think of them once. AWKWARD.

"Chazz!" Tea hugged him. Oh yes. Awkward. Oh wait, were those tears soaking his shoulder. Now, he was down right embarrassed for not remembering her.

"Hey Tea. He doesn't have all his memories, yet. You're making this hard for him." Joey let her know, and Chazz was silently thankful.

"Sorry." The woman withdrew, and wiped her tears with a handkerchief she kept on herself. "I'm just so happy to see you, and I'd love to do new things with 'the Chazz'!" She giggled at the cute title she was told.

Her cuteness made Chazz blush. "Uhm, thanks." Her words were reassuring to him because if he came back, and they tried to do things that they've done in the past, he'd just feel downright guilty because he wasn't entirely the same person he was. He'd feel like a disappointment. Thankfully, it looked like they knew ahead that he'd feel that way, so they pushed the past activities away, and focused on reconnecting with the new him who still held bits of him that were loved.

The three of them went into the store, and no one at all was in there. Tea explained that this was actually a closed day for the store, but she got a good friend of hers to let her in to get some clothes to help disguise Chazz so he felt more comfortable shopping at other stores. She could've just picked out an outfit, but she didn't know what Chazz would like, so she did this.

The interboy was touched by such kindness, and this kindness did feel familiar. As he shopped, Joey, the comedic that he was, pretended to be one of those male fashionistas on television. Tea laughingly joined in, and Chazz couldn't help doing it, too, because he was a true diva. It made the shopping easier because the competitive teen wanted to be the best fashionista among them. His duel spirits also wanted to join in, and Joey could see them, and he gave Tea the gift to see them, too. They picked a few outfits with jewelry that worked for Chazz. The reawakening half-female also used the makeup, wigs, and accessories that were available at the store. Tea made sure to take a picture of each item, and sent the prices to her friend to put it on her bill to pay for later.

In the end, Chazz wore something simple as a start of accepting his womanhood, so he wore a long sleeved, white top with a high waisted black skirt, nude tights, black heels, sunglasses, and a very expensive bag hooked at his arm. For his makeup, he went with the natural look, and the wig he chose was a long, straight, black one. It was very safe, but effective.

Tea, Joey, and his duel spirits gave him good marks on his choices, and this process was fairly easy. Now came the hard part: Walking out of the store.

Chazz knew that no one would recognize him on the street, but he still felt self-conscious. His mind was thinking of several dangerous yet ridiculous scenarios. The most likely one among them was that someone did recognize him, it went on the news, and not only his life but also the lives of his brothers were ruined, too. He felt like running away. But then, Joey took his hand and told him sincerely, "There's no shame in backing out. I may have paved a way for men to fight for this, but it doesn't mean that you have to face the fight today if you're not ready." He patted his shoulder as a means of comfort, but it looked like an acting of mockery.

The younger duelist knew that he meant good by those words, but he couldn't help taking them as an insult to his pride. Joey Wheeler dressed like how he wanted to dress without ever backing down even if times got rough. Chazz had been held back by whatever fucked up thing happened to him, and that fucked up thing didn't have the right to hold him back anymore. He was not at fault for what or who he was! This was correct and right, and dammit, just like how he blurted out that he was bisexual at North Academy, he was going to walk out that door and feel like a complete idiot, but at least that idiot was free!

So he let go of Joey's hand, and walked out of that door. Once his second foot was out at the other side, his breathing quickened, his heart raced, and his palms were sweaty. He stopped just two steps from that door, and stood there in broad daylight while people just passed him by. He thought he was going to pee himself as he waited for someone to call him out.

After a few minutes of standing there, and only a few glances came his way, he began to feel himself calm down. He accepted that this felt like a mistake, but a bigger part of his mind and his heart told him that he was right, and this fear was going to evaporate and never rain down again.

He strut down that sidewalk like he owned it. A few glances were aimed his way and nothing else. Joey, Tea, and his duel spirits were right at his side, and they congratulated him for owning his fears. They then began talking about what kind of stores they should go to next. Their conversations helped Chazz feel more confident because it made the whole thing feel more natural. He was walking on heels, talking with his natural voice, picking out his outfits, and laughing like a normal person.

She felt like a normal person.

 _Song: Man! I feel like a Woman! - Shania Twain_

She got so carried away with feeling like a girl that she hadn't realized the time, and that she was going to be late for dinner! She quickly gave a wad of cash to a random person before using their bike to get home. She was only a minute late, but that was too late for her because she couldn't change her clothes. She was left standing at the table in her female outfit. Jagger and Slade didn't look surprised at all. They were kind of hoping for this. Chazz still felt embarrassed since she just got into this, so she must look like a freak.

But Jagger casually scolded her, "What are you doing over there, Chazz? You're late for dinner."

Slade then teased, "Yeah sis! You must've had an interesting afternoon. We want to hear all about it."

Chazz felt her nose wrinkle at them for acting like annoying brothers, but their actions made her calm down to take her seat at the table. She didn't say anything at first. She had to adjust to this new setting. When she did, she smirked at them, and spoke with her boyish voice, "If you must know, I met some old friends."

._._._.

For the next four days, Chazz spent breakfasts and dinners with his brothers. In between that, he spent it with Joey and Tea who helped him shop for a few more items. They also did some activities to help him get in touch with his female side which was basically doing the little things that girls would do that guys usually don't like wrapping the towel around his chest, putting on bras even if he was flat chested, accepting his period as a natural work of hell, and accepting or fighting all the faults there was to being a woman. It also didn't hurt when he met Mokuba, Noe, and their little Shunmei, and the cute baby reminded him of his desire for motherhood someday. Chazz became easily fond of Mokuba for his friendly, sociable personality. It was no wonder he was the spokesperson or announcer for Kaiba Corporation. He also got along quite well with Noe on acting like jackasses when the nice ones aren't listening.

Joey and Tea also helped him create a dance for the wedding happening at the end of the week. They were practicing at one of Tea's many dance studios.

"That's it, Chazz. Bring it up slowly, and place your foot right there. Good. Perfect. Now let's see you do the whole routine again." Tea played the music with her eyes heavily concentrated on the dancer. That intense gaze felt familiar on his figure. Tea was truly passionate about dancing more than he was, and that made him actually feel like he had to work a little to appear better. Joey, Mokuba, and Noe watched him with adoring eyes while little Shunmei was playing in her portable rocker.

They were the only ones in the room, yet, he felt another gaze on him. Sharp, chilling eyes that pierced through his walls in order to peer into the secrets of his mind. It was a frightening feeling, and yet he felt like welcoming it since he felt like he was putting his best forward.

"Bravo!" Tea applauded him. "You're just as good as I remember you, Chazz!"

"Totally!" Joey agreed. "I can see that my workout kept you in top shape!"

Chazz grinned before hugging him as a thank you for the compliment, and for taking care of him through the dark years. He figured that this man was his health tutor. He only used a beard as a disguise anyway.

"Am I interrupting something?" A softened cynical tone asked.

Chazz knew that voice. He leaned away from the hug, and right there in front of the studio's glass doors was, "SETO KAIBA!"

"Sorry! I'm here, too!" A shorter man appeared with a kind smile.

"YUGI MUTO!"

Chazz felt himself stagger as he felt himself about to faint, but instead his brain was whirring too fast for him to focus.

"Oi! I thought I told you that both of you can't enter the room at the same time!" Joey got mad at them.

Yugi quickly apologized. "Sorry! I thought I was running late, but it looks like I forgot to set my watch into this city's time zone."

Noe snorted, "Now that you did it, Chazz is in fangirl heaven. Good thing I bought a pillow. Set him down." Joey and her got Chazz who was currently experiencing a nonlethal type of shock on the ground with a pillow comfortably put behind his head.

"Wow, I didn't think Chazz would react like this." Tea tried not to giggle. "But a new generation duelist are either one of your fans."

Yugi guiltily smiled, and looked up at Seto who gazed at Chazz with a rare tenderness that used to only belong to Mokuba. He was glad that Seto was happy to see one of his dearest loved ones back.

When Chazz came to his senses, he sat up and got up abruptly, walked over to the two, and tried not to scream passionately at them, "I am honored to meet you Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba." He said with a polite speech that made him feel like a dork so he couldn't help shyly blushing. His eyes twinkling adorably like a child meeting his heroes. "I know this isn't our first meeting, and I'm sorry that I can't properly remember the time we shared before. But I promise I will! And when I do, and make it into the pros, that is if you don't mind, would you like to have a duel then?"

While he was asking this like a high school girl confessing in a manga, Noe was shamelessly taking pictures with the best high definition she had in her cyborg systems. She sent them to Tea and Joey who gave her thumbs up for a good job. Mokuba felt a little embarrassed by their shamelessness, but he was also sent the pictures.

Yugi answered, "I'd love to duel with you, Chazz. And like what the others have told you, you don't have to rush to remember us. Just focus on making new memories now. Right Kaiba?"

"Heh. With how your skills currently are as a duelist, putting a rain check on a duel will be for the best. But for what must be the first time that I say this, I don't care for the duel. Right now, all I want is to see what's the big fuss with everyone about 'The Chazz'." The CEO sounded like a complete asshole, but his words were endearing.

Chazz felt his heart skipped a beat by his words. He felt cherished by the way the man's cold eyes warmed into pools of blue that could be used to paint the sky. Seto smiled like a parent would at their child with his shoulders relaxed and hands open in a defenseless matter. This person trusted Chazz. He cared for him in such a dangerous way, that Chazz felt like he was given a fragile, priceless gift that he could shatter, and still not be hated.

While everyone around him adored him in their own way, this man with so much power _loved_ him.

Seto Kaiba rose his strong hand that weakened itself to hold Chazz as if he was also a fragile, priceless gift. He quickly stepped away from the touch. He kept his head down in fear that the older man appeared hurt.

"U-uhm, the Chazz, uhm, is tired. Exhausted from practice, so let's talk later." He knew he was spouting bullshit, and his discomfort was obvious, but right now, he was having an existential crisis. "Excuse me." He quickly went to his dressing room to change before the others came after him, and left the place without another word.

Back in the studio, Seto Kaiba expected Chazz to fanboy over him, but to suddenly become scared of him, he was left standing there without a clue of what he did.

Joey explained, "You expressed too much love. When Chazz cares about who he's talking to, he reads their body language, n' you had love written all over you."

Yugi understood. "Chazz must have felt like he was put into a grand position that he didn't feel that he was prepared to handle."

"Probably feeling guilty, too." Noe included to add salt to the burn. "Little Chazz loved with all his heart, and gave the right amount everyone was comfortable with. People like us always demand for too much even though we give so little, but I'm more aware of that than you are because I've been put in the position where I was loved too much that reciprocating it seemed impossible. You always had Mokuba to begin with. So I speak from experience, it's best to let Chazz think about this on his own just for today."

Seto Kaiba scowled at her, but she understood the situation, so he followed her advice. Joey came over to him and comforted his wounded heart.

 _Song: Feather Theme - Alan Silvestri from Forrest Gump_

Chazz hated himself for running away from Seto Kaiba, but he was frightened of making a bigger mistake. That love...That love was far too good for the person he was today.

It wasn't hard to know that Seto Kaiba didn't love just anyone. He loved anyone he absolutely trusted, and wanted his love. Yugi Muto was only a rival of Seto Kaiba who earned his trust, but not his love. The same went for Roland who was a loyal right-hand-man of the CEO. Noe was only tolerated like a sister. Tea and others were probably given the respect the CEO deemed that they deserved. The rest were either adversaries, potential company, or nothing at all.

There were only three people (not including the blue-eyes-white dragons) who Seto Kaiba loved: One was Mokuba who was his little brother and a good person, so it was natural. The second was Shunmei who was his niece, so that was also natural to happen. The third and most difficult love was Joey who was someone who knew that loving Seto Kaiba wasn't going to be easy, but he loved him, and nurtured their relationship with his stubborn hands until the cold man could see his good intentions and join in.

"Did I fight for his love?" Chazz questioned his memories. He didn't know. He thought that there was no good point in doing so because he wasn't the child he used to be, and he doubted he could ever be better than his child-self.

He walked along the sidewalk, and stopped when he came across a shop's window glass clearly reflecting his form. He was currently dressed like a woman, but he didn't feel like a woman. He felt more like the male Chazz who refused his real self. He did want to reject himself. There was noway Seto Kaiba could love his current self. Not with how many cracks there was to him.

The interboy sighed, "Maybe I'm better off just remaining one of Seto Kaiba's fans. There is a saying that it's best not to meet your idols or heroes because depressing shit like this happens."

When a duel spirit appeared, Chazz expected Ojama Yellow, but instead, it was the unhappy maiden. She handed him a rose that he couldn't touch, but he pretended to hold her hand and the rose to be nice. The unhappy maiden smiled. The two walked along the sidewalk side by side, and the red headed girl pretended that she could bump into the people passing by, so she would try to dodge them, and then apologize when she phased through some of them. Chazz decided to go to a park where only a few people would be crossing its concrete. The hazel-blue eyed female noticed his act of kindness, so she added four more roses into her hands to show her appreciation.

Chazz found the act weird, but he also felt comforted. The unhappy maiden suffered from a case of dysthymia*, and it looked like she was having her moments of feeling better. The two stopped by the park's flowers where the maiden happily named each one of them. Catnipped kitty appeared, and looked like he wanted to mess with the flowers, but just looked ridiculous. Soul Tiger appeared and scared the wits out of him. The two laughed. People stared at him, but he didn't care. He was feeling better.

Chaos necromancer than appeared with a puppet that he spoke through, "So what's the matter, Chazzy boy?" The Ojamas appeared silently because they were told just to act as support on the sidelines.

Chazz felt like sharing with them, "It's Seto Kaiba. I met him today."

"Oh?! Then why the long face?"

"We met before."

"YOU ME-MMPH!" Ojama's green's mouth was covered by his brothers. They were not to distract their boss.

Chazz continued with a lost expression that held pleading eyes to be given a path to follow, "I lost my memories when I was a kid because I was kidnapped, and in order to cope, I made up a terrible world to explain why I felt so horrible. I don't know if I knew it at the time, but I forgot a lot of good people. Including Seto Kaiba...We were close when I was younger, I guess. Earlier, he looked at me as if I was...his kid or something. I don't know how to describe it, but there was a lot of love, and that scared me. I would love to love Seto Kaiba back, but what if it's not enough? What if I let him down and disappoint him? It's different with my brothers because we're brothers. I've always loved them even after I made up a world where they didn't. But I _stopped_ loving Seto Kaiba. I _stopped_ loving all of them, and they _didn't_. The way he looked at me," Chazz saw a puddle of water that clearly reflected his frightened face that he found hideous at the moment, "That truth hit home run for me, and I don't know if I could love them the same."

Each one of his duel spirits appeared and looked at each other in concern. The unhappy maiden spoke as if she had came across this problem before, "I never experienced a love as difficult as yours, but it reminds me of a rose bush. It never blossoms the same roses you might have seen years before, but even then, the rose bush is still beautiful, but then the truth was that it wasn't the same rose bush. The old one was burned down, so they had to replace it with another one. But even then..." The maiden became happier looking at the flowers, "It's a bush worth appreciating."

"That's right!" Spirit of the breeze agreed, getting her metaphor. "You are a bush worth appreciating!"

Chaos necromancer nodded, and spoke through his puppet, "You are the bush that we love, Chazzy boy! And the difference between their love and ours is that we aren't thwarted by nostalgia! You need to stop comparing yourself to the past! It's like comparing yourself to a celebrity you don't know the fully story about! You hafta know you are your own star! Your own bush, Chazzy boy!"

"That's right!" The ojamas and the others nodded. "You are your own bush! Bush it up!"

The others cheered, "Bush it up! Bush it up! Bush it up!"

Chazz felt energized by their cheers. They were right! Their love was filled with nostalgia, and that amplified a lot of things! He got to throw that out, and make them appreciate who he was now! He wasn't whole, but it really irked him to be seen as somebody he wasn't anymore! He still had worth!

He threw a finger to the air. "That's right! I am my own bush! A new and improved bush that won't be thwarted by somebody else's nostalgia! I have been improving and I am worth their appreciation right now! I gotta bush it up! Wait, that's not right. I gotta Chazz it up!"

"That's right!" His duel spirits nodded. "CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!"

Chazz strutted out of that park, ignoring all the stares aimed his way. He wasn't sure where he was going. He was sure that everyone was not still at the studio, and he thought it was better to think about what he was going to say, so he thought it was best to see Seto Kaiba tomorrow. He'd call Joey at night to set up an appointment, he guessed. He didn't feel like going home yet, so he went to watch a puppet show that was going on, and doing other activities that his duel spirits would enjoy.

(This next scene will introduce an OC who'll only be relevant in a few, but mostly the final chapters, so this doesn't necessarily need to be read unless you want to. You can skip it by finding (*End Scene*))

When it became sun down, Chazz still had a little over two hours before dinner, so he decided to go watch a movie. From where he was, it wasn't far. He crossed a bridge, and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" She yelled. Chazz knew that a majority of a time when someone was about to collide, it was usually the female who scooted aside, but she wasn't one of those females! "Didn't you see that I was walking here!" She spotted a flier on the ground. "Were you reading this?" She picked it up, and saw that it was a North Academy flier.

Her mood instantly changed. She looked at the stranger to see a teen who must be a year younger than her. He had a turquoise pompadour, and hazel eyes that had specks of green and blue in them. He was currently wearing a plain grey jacket with the hoodie over his head. He seemed to be frustrated about something, and Chazz immediately felt her role as North Academy's former leader to help a potential follower in need.

"Yeah, so?" This stranger questioned indignantly.

Chazz replied with vigor, "Then you're making the right choice!" She slapped it on his shoulder. "It's true that North Academy isn't considered the best like Duel Academy, but it's a great place that challenges you! I should know. I've been there and ruled the school as the best! And I made sure nobody was discriminated for anything!"

"Discriminated?" The younger teen's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You bet! No discrimination about your health issues or whether you're queer or not. All the students are taught on how to not let that define their opponent! The only thing that matters is their dueling skills! But even if you are in the bottom, there's always room for improvement. I made sure that the place provides classes after the regular ones to help you improve on dueling and if you have any problems with school work."

That sounded pretty impressive. Usually someone who became the best just won a lot of duels, but this one actually used the power to make changes for the better. "You did that at North Academy? Sounds like you left. Why? Are you a graduate?"

"Not yet, kid. It's because I did my job at North Academy, and I needed to tie up loose ends at Duel Academy, but that doesn't matter right now." She turned to the rails of the bridge to gaze at the sunset. The stranger stood next to her, and seemed to be less frustrated now. That was good.

He spoke, "I see. So you improved North Academy. Are you doing the same at Duel Academy?"

Chazz snorted. "Duel Academy is way different from North Academy. What with their red, yellow, and blue distinctions. In North Academy, there's a top fifty ranking, and you have to duel them to figure out where you ranked, and that always changes, but rarely for those in the top five spot. Anyway, what I'm saying is that there's always room for improvement to make it to the top spot, and it's no good if they never make those improvements. When I became the leader, I took it upon myself to make sure none of their potential was snubbed. I wanted to be challenged by duelists who gave their all, and a lot of them made me proud." Chazz smiled fondly at the memories.

The person beside her thought about what she said, and admitted, "I...Nobody at home appreciates me like they do with my older brother. I'm pretty much the disappointment in the family while he's having fun dueling for Pegasus using some awesome rare cards, while I'm stuck with this insect deck." He took out his deck and looked through them with a disappointed expression.

Chazz somewhat empathized with him. She knew what it was like being the disappointment while their older siblings were leagues ahead of being the pride of the family. She loved Slade and Jagger, but being the duelist she was, she felt like a disappointment when she thought about it. She decided to cheer him up without being obvious about it, so she rudely took his deck from his hands.

"Let me see that." She looked at the insect cards, and she wasn't a fan of insects, but Chazz had learned a thing or two about seeing the advantage in every card. Even the Ojamas reluctantly. "Did you assemble these yourself?"

"No. They were handed down by my older brother. He got a new powerful deck, so he gave me his old cards since he didn't need them anymore."

"And what about yours?"

"They're at home, but it's lame."

"What kind of deck is it?"

The boy fidgeted, "You promised to not laugh?"

"If it's as bad as an Ojama deck, I will." Chazz promised.

That was convincing enough. "It's a fairy deck."

"Huh." Chazz knew fairies were used as a derogatory term, but in dueling, they were a well respected type. "What's so embarrassing about that?"

"It's girly!"

"So?"

"Boys don't do girly things! It's embarrassing!"

The interboy felt a little vein throb by that. Not amused at all, he first made a point by grabbing one of the teen's hands, and putting it on his groin. "Does it look like I give a crap about that masculine bullshit?"

The bluenet was caught completely off guard, and his face went red. "You-YOU'RE A GUY?!"

"I'm actually intersex, but after a few surgeries, I have the body of a hermaphrodite." Chazz freely said with pride. This person had no idea who he was, so he didn't feel like judgement would rain down on him too hard. "And I identify as bigender, which means I feel like a guy or a girl sometimes."

"Oh..." The boy found that really weird, but the way Chazz said it all factually, made it seem like a natural part of science. It kind of helped him relax a bit. "So right now you feel like a girl?"

"At first, but now I'm feeling pretty guyish after calling a fairy deck girly. I mean it is, but to treat it like an insult hurts my female pride."

"So-sorry. It's just that I've been bullied for having that deck, and I thought using my brother's deck would make me a better duelist, but I'm terrible with it."

"Then return to your old deck, duh! True strength doesn't lie in your cards. It lies in yourself!" Chazz still had the insect cards in his hand. He decided to run up to a little kid and told them that they could keep it if they ran away really fast. That kid was gone in less than two seconds.

"Wait! That's my deck!"

"No, it wasn't!" Chazz glared at him. "Your deck is your fairy deck, and you're going to North Academy, and you're going to be in the top five or at least the top ten best duelist in there if you don't get the number one spot! This is an order from the former leader of North Academy! You better obey it! There's a duelist who uses a freakin' CLOWN deck, and he's in the top three because I hauled his sorry, insecure ass out of the pit he was digging himself, and you're going to do the same! Let's go to your house! We're going to have a duel!"

"A du-duel?!"

"That's right! I don't leave home without the deck I prefer to use, so let's go slacker!"

The boy knew he could just run away and think this never happened, but he had a feeling this crazy guy/chick would track him down and make him feel sorry for ditching them. So he bought...her to his house, and made her stay outside, so he could go in and get his deck. The two then got a taxi to go to a Kaiba dome to use the dueling arena.

The two dueled, and the boy tried his best, but the older duelist was nailing him with the smack talk that got him angry.

Eventually, he finally snapped, "Hey! I'm trying my best here!"

But Chazz snapped back, "Oh come on! Is that really your best! And you were the ones _**ashamed** _ of them? These fairies have good attack points, strong defense points, and if they don't, they have a pretty rad special effect! The problem here is that you're afraid to play your cards because you're ashamed of yourself!"

"So what if I am! I won't amount to anything!"

"And there it is! The way you're talking! You need to stop that! I also have brothers who are going places while I'm stuck trying to be the best duelist I can be! But I don't let it get me down because I cheer for myself on! Because I recognize what I'm good at, and I tell myself that every day! You can't live in the dueling world without knowing how to sell yourself, so start now! Tell me something good about yourself!"

"Something good?" The boy came off blank.

"Anything just to get you started! Like you're good at origami, or playing video games. Even if you think it's lame, just spout it out with pride!"

The boy found this absolutely ridiculous, but he felt compelled to follow orders. "I...I'm good at drawing?"

"I SAID WITH PRIDE!"

"I-I'M GOOD AT DRAWING!"

"GOOD! Now you better be thinking about some good points about yourself because every time you have to draw, you have to say something nice about yourself! But seeing that this duel is about to end! You'll have to do it in the second one!"

"Second one?!"

The boy was defeated, and the second duel started. Chazz forced him to say something good about himself even if it was ridiculous like he was pretty good at riding horses, he knew how to blow a snot bubble, and he once got the top score on a math test. Every time he did that, he began truly thinking about the good things about him. Maybe they weren't the best qualities, but he wasn't a complete hopeless case. He was filled with qualities that people would like, and his opponent appeared to be enjoying his company. That made him feel more and more confident in who he was, and he began seeing his cards as cards that he could use to his advantage. They were ridiculed just as much as he was, but there were good things about them, too, and that made them awesome!

He lost in the end though, but he came out feeling better about himself, though a little ridiculous, but a good ridiculous.

When it was over, Chazz checked the time to see that he was going to be late for dinner. He called them to tell them about what happened. Slade and Jagger did express that they wanted to have dinner together, but they understood that Chazz was making a new friend. That was a good sign that Chazz was truly making progress, so they wanted him to enjoy being with this new friend for a little longer, but he had an eleven o'clock curfew.

Chazz thanked them for being understanding. He then turned to the kid and told him that since he was feeling generous, he was going to pay for dinner. The two went to the nearest one, and they talked about random stuff to get to know each other and pass the time. The boy showed that he was pretty good at drawing, but he was more interested in sculpting, and North Academy was a great place to learn ice sculpting.

When they were finished, it was about time Chazz left.

"Look like I have to go. Oh and kid, you better work your hardest for those cards when I see you at North Academy next year. I won't school there, but I always plan to visit whenever I can, and you might see me dance." Chazz had revealed to be a dancer, and would've liked to show it off, but he had other things to do tomorrow.

"I definitely will! Thank you for everything...Wait, I don't even know your name!" That was bizarre since they've been talking for hours, and had two very passionate duels before that.

Chazz grinned. "Tell me yours first, and say it like you mean it!"

The boy nodded, and proudly told him, "It's Bernie. Bernie Anderson."

"Bernie?" The mean ravenet out right laughed at the name. "Oh lord! Don't tell me you're twins with Barnie! Are you sure you weren't picked on for your name!"

Bernie blushed, but he didn't feel bad. It was a pretty ridiculous name, but it was nothing to feel ashamed of. "Okay, now yours!"

Chazz stopped laughing, cleared his throat, rose a finger to the sky, and landed its point on him, "The name? The name should've been obvious from the start! It's Chazz! Chazz Princeton!"

"Chazz...Princeton." It then donned on the boy named Bernie. Despite being dressed like a female, he could see the similarities. Especially from the duel. "You're that Chazz Princeton! The one who lost that duel on TV!" Chazz nearly fell from being recognized by that.

"Is that how the world remembers me now?!" He yelled up at the sky. It was even worse because it was Jaden of all people! But at least no one knew who that slacker was or it would've been worse. "Forget it. I gotta go, so see you around Bernie." Before Chazz got a taxi to stop for him, Bernie had taken out his phone and wanted a picture. The Princeton agreed as long as he promised not to tell anyone about his gender-queerness since he wanted to be out about it after being recognized as a duelist first by the world. He added an extra threat in there for good measure before taking a few pictures with him.

Bernie next waved goodbye after he left. Before heading back home, he first stopped at the bridge where they met. He stood at the rails while looking down at the traffic below, and also the picture of him and Chazz.

An officer soon came by. "Hey, it's late. You better not be thinking of doing anything stupid." They warned.

Bernie shook his head, put his phone away, and smiled at the officer. "Nope. I was actually thinking of it, but I'm better now. I'll go home." He turned away, took out a note and tossed it in the trash can. On the note it said, 'I'm only sorry that I couldn't have been strong enough to accept my loneliness. Hopefully after I die, I won't be lonely any more - Bernie Anderson.'

(*End Scene*)

._._._.

Chazz was barely able to get a blink of sleep last night after Joey agreed to set up a 'dinner date'. He texted back in full caps to 'NOT CALL IT A DATE! HE'S YOUR HUSBAND FOR PETE SAKES!'. The damn man texted back, 'We're not exclusive. LOL. jk. :3c" The damn emoticon just pissed him off more!

The interboy spent the rest of the morning and afternoon with his brothers who had the free time to spend with him. It was a good distraction from the upcoming meeting.

When it was nearing, Chazz excused himself to get ready. He thought he was going to spent at least a few hours deciding on what to wear, but his brothers drove him to the hotel where he was to meet with the tall brunet. They told him that his outfit was prepared in his room. Chazz was curious as to what it was, so when he went in, he was surprised to find a deep v-neck black bodice, and a black pancake tutu. Both had white embroidery where the bodice looked like a great white lightning was striking right down the middle, and it turned into streaks of colors on the tutu. It was wonderfully designed that she put it on. When she did, the rest of her body was magically prepared for her dinner date. She looked in the mirror to see that her makeup, her hair, and her added dress wear was done like it was when the shadow did it.

He walked out of the room and found Roland waiting for her. The man dutifully led her to the hotel's ball room that was emptied of anyone except for a single man who stood in a white royal military-styled jacket and tights. His face was covered by a dragon Venetian mask that looked like it represented the blue eyes white dragon. By the height, the pale skin, chestnut brown hair, and blue eyes that shone beyond the mask, Chazz was sure that this was Mr. Kaiba.

The ballerina cautiously approached him. She stopped a few feet away from the male ballet dancer. The man smirked in amusement, and then started with doing the ballet mime for the invitation to dance. Chazz was hesitant because she wasn't sure if she could dance correctly with the man without proper practice, but it would be rude to reject, so she carefully accepted.

And thus the music started.

 _Song: Looking Through Your Eyes - LeAnn Rimes/Andrea Corr & Bryan White from Quest for Camelot_

Chazz let Seto Kaiba lead the dance first since she wasn't sure what was happening. It was a bit too slow at first because she was stiff, but after dancing for a few minutes, Chazz began to feel the flow of the music, and the rhythm of their steps. She felt herself become on equal grounds with her partner, and thus sought out to add more flair to their patterns, and Kaiba was willing to follow to make silent conversation.

Chazz could read his movements that told her that Seto Kaiba felt both the nostalgia and a welcoming change. The interboy felt a little self-conscious of her movements by that message, but Kaiba reassured her that she was doing absolutely well. He expected nothing but for the two of them to enjoy their company. To forget all in order to enjoy the feeling this dance gave them. She followed his advice, and let herself sink into the melody of the music and rise to its harmonies with Seto Kaiba at her side. They danced on and on, and Chazz began remembering doing this before with him. The way they made their big height difference work between them as if they were using magic to their movements flow and not look awkward to onlookers. When Kaiba would pick her up, it was so high, that she felt like she was flying. They were dancing like parent with child or an older sibling supporting his younger. It truly felt like their dancing was in a world of their own and they were transcending the words that described its perfection.

This dance cleaned away any doubt within the younger dancer, and thus, she was able to remember. This feeling she got when dancing with him...It felt so nostalgic. She began remembering the love she had felt for him and for everyone else. More little memories undulated within her mind.

The glass piece that broke in half had its unlit half break again and one side lit up.

At the end of the dance, Chazz hugged Seto Kaiba with all her might as if he would disappear if she let go. She couldn't help her tears. She remembered their love, and she remembered hers.

Seto Kaiba affectionately smiled down at his Speck of Light as he wrapped his arms around her lithe frame. His blue eyes white dragon soul projected from his body. Chazz's soul projected in the form of tattered wings and a girl filled with cracks, but she still shone brilliantly.

He spoke with a voice filled with insecurity, but also the strength to confess, "Chazz...I know what it's like to lose the sense of the child you once were...and forget what it was like to love those dearest to you, but for me, thanks to Mokuba, Joey, and the others, including yourself, I remembered. And now, you're doing the same." He held Chazz closer as he said with all the love he could muster for her.

"I'm so proud of you."

._._._.

 _Song: This One's For The Girls - Martina McBride_

The last two days went by far too fast for Chazz, and now it was the last day of Spring Break, and the wedding for Joey Wheeler's sister, Serenity Wheeler, was taking place.

It wasn't Chazz's day, but she did feel like a part of it was because it was a day to completely embrace her female gender with her family together. It also didn't hurt that she was doing it in style. For the ceremony that took place in a gorgeous church, she was dressed in a royal blue, high-neck, sleeveless dress for the ceremony. She then changed into a white romantic tutu with flowery sleeves to present her performance for the couple. Afterwards, she changed into a long, purple, strapless, blouson dress for the reception with her diamond shaped earrings and straight, black wig with side-swept bangs. Her heels hit the dance floor and all the single guys migrated her way, but the flew away when they felt the death glare of his brothers and Seto Kaiba, and saw them mouth out and hand gestured death threats.

Chazz got mad at them because she wanted to flirt with some of them just for fun, but that only made them triple their deadly, overprotective aura. Noe took her away from them and the two of them with Serenity and her bridesmaids: Tea, Mai, Ishizu and Rebecca danced together. Serenity actually knew who Chazz was since they met before, and she was truly happy to see how far she came.

"You were like a son or daughter to my brother." She told him. "And I can see that you still retain the goofiness he influenced in you! This is both our days, and I hope the both of us will be happy from here on out. It also seems like it's time for one of the special events for tonight! Don't be shy to stay on the dance floor." She gave him a playful wink and one last hug before walking over to her father.

The dance floor was soon cleared up for the father-daughter dance, so only the daughters and fathers were allowed on the stage. Chazz knew she didn't have a father, so was going to walk off, but Slade walked up to her.

"I raised you, didn't I?" He held out his hand.

 _Song: Tiny Dancer - Elton John_

Chazz was stunned by the offer. It was a father-daughter dance, but it wouldn't be fair to leave the older siblings and guardians who filled out that role. She held back her tears as she placed her hand on his. She felt tremendously happy to dance with Slade who protected him and Jagger from the savage violence from their father, and continues to be the armor of this family. Then he switched with Jagger who acted as the backbone of the family to keep it from ever falling apart, and when needed be, he would be this family's sword. Then he switched with Seto Kaiba and then Joey. Both of them helped his brothers through the hard times, acting as the arrows that would rain on the enemy forces, and come in with the first aid kit to help their wounded. Each of them giving a kiss to her cheek for she was the treasure they chose to protect because they each saw something valuable in her.

It was truly a perfect night, but something did seem to be missing. Her duel spirits were also here enjoying the view and pretending to be talking to the guests. She was sure a majority of the people she loved was here, but why did it still feel like too many were missing. Chazz did notice that she found herself looking up at the sky over her shoulder too much. As if she was expecting someone to be there...

._._._.

A/N: Take a moment to enjoy this before I fuck it up.

*From chapter 12 with edit

*A long-term of mild depression.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N:

WARNING: Very mild M for Hornetshipping, and something freaky happening later with you know who.

And so! Majesticship, Hornetship, Angelship, Stormship, Valentineship, and Rivalship! And Chazz's duel spirits on their cute steamboat! Get ready to go!

Please don't mind these other ships sailing and one of them CRASHING in this fic.

._._._.

Chazz went back to Duel Academy feeling better than ever. Some people noticed. Especially Vivian, Bastion and Zane. He told them all about what happened over Spring Break. Bastion and Zane were beyond surprised that Chazz knew the three greatest duelists to ever live! The lucky interboy couldn't help bragging about it, but he was careful with how far he went because these three legends were more than just duelists to him. They were family, and he couldn't wait for summer vacation. Bastion questioned if they helped his dueling improve, but Chazz didn't duel them over the break. They had so many other things to do such as catch up, and heal from his emotional wounds. He did tell them about dueling a guy named Bernie Anderson though.

He also showed them all the new clothes, accessories, makeup and even the swimsuit he bought. There were very few opportunities, even less for Chazz who was hiding his gender identification, to ever use them, but it was nice to know he had stylish clothes with him.

His friends were jealous of his experience, but they were relieved to see Chazz genuinely happy and emotionally stable. It was nice to know he acted like a snob because he was one, instead of playing the role of being one.

Chazz and Bastion returned to their key guarding duties, and the mischievous duelist decided to mess with the genius a little by slipping in White Magician Pikeru in there. He knew Bastion was secretly a lolicon. Plus, who could deny the cuteness of Pikeru.

Alexis' brother still had amnesia, but he was walking around, and getting healthier. Jaden was still annoying, Syrus was still bully-material and a little shit, and Chumley was still pitiful. The Slifer dorm was still a roach-infested tool shed, but the food was delicious.

Days went by peacefully, but Bastion was getting restless. He wanted to duel one of the shadow riders. Chazz was content with just dueling those he's assigned to duel with. These shadow riders had nothing on him, so just like Jaden, he felt no worries, and that led him to experience something he hadn't experienced before: Morning woods.

Chazz never masturbated before, so the first time was short and quick, but earth shattering to his inexperienced mind. He wanted to explore this new turn in his life, but he had a huge problem: His duel spirits. He got away with the first masturbation, and a few others when he was showering, but they always had to be short or else it would become suspicious. He was too embarrassed to tell them that he needed some Chazz time to do that because they'd casually talk about it, and even interrupt him because they either forgot or couldn't understand its importance!

Dammit, he was beyond curious about his body! Especially since he was a hermaphrodite! It was nice just touching his dick, but she wanted to explore her other genital. She didn't have a clit, but she still had a bit of vaginal lips, and a hole. And she wasn't sure if a dick would fit in there. Seto Kaiba took off the illusion on his chest, which was so embarrassing because it meant that Seto Kaiba's magic had been on Chazz's chest for years! It was practically like having his hands on them, and that was a dirty thought he didn't want to think about! HE WAS A MARRIED MAN! AND JOEY WAS NOT HELPFUL WITH HIS TEASING!

Chazz's chest wasn't really that different from his old one. A little like his male chest; he had a little curve noticeable from the bottom corner of his breasts, and his nipples just moved a bit to the center. He still used his powers to put an illusion on his chest in case they randomly became rounder or pointier. He only exposed his normal chest when he truly knew he had privacy, and that was usually in Bastion's room. The nerd was there, but he trusted him.

Besides, the aspired scientist was spending most of his time writing his formulas over the walls, or doing research on his computer. When he wasn't, he would do some light exercise because it was important to get up and move within an hour or so to stay healthy. Chazz just let him be while he read his duel magazines or did his homework.

But soon, he became distracted when Bastion decided to take off his shirt one day, and daaaaaaaaamn. He knew Bastion was buff by their many dance practices, but Chazz was always professional during them, and he also had personal issues to get over first. Now that he was clear of mind, he wouldn't mind getting on that...

"Hey, do you ever think about sex?" He started, hoping he didn't hint at what he was getting at too much. It was a weekend, and he was currently on his stomach on the Ra Yellow's bed. He placed the magazine he had been reading on the floor.

The scientist who was in the middle of doing crunches on his yoga mat stopped. He was surprised by the question, but he figured it was natural since they were in the middle of their bodies maturing. He also had an idea of what Chazz was indicating by that question. The ever-so-curious virgin answered, "Not daily, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm not interested. I do have my mornings and nights when I wouldn't mind a warm body next to me."

That rung the clearing bell for the hermaphrodite, but she played it cool. "Huh. Figures. So...want to start a friends-with-benefits thing? Because your room is the only private place I can be in for hours without questions, my duel spirits know to keep out of here, your body looks fuckable for a nerd, and I bet that science-y brain of yours is just dying to know what my body looks like underneath these clothes." Chazz figured he should be straight up about this because he didn't want to give off the false idea that he fell for Bastion. The nerd was an amazing friend, but that was all he was, and it felt good and right to keep it that way. But that didn't mean that they couldn't have fun.

The Ra Yellow didn't appear surprise at the suggestion, but looked a bit smug for having seen it coming. "I guess that's one way to ask me, and I won't lie that I have been curious about how your body is formed. I'll also admit that I may be bisexual, though I like to pride myself as an asexual or demisexual from time to time."

"Yeah, yeah, you're queer. So is that a no or a yes because right now I have no idea if a dick can fit in my vagina, and I want to consider my options on how to figure that out." She shifted her body to lie on her side in the way naked women would pose on romantic affair novels. She copied their come-hither-look to be persuasive.

Bastion saw the bait, and he was honestly fine with the idea of starting this type of relationship with Chazz. There was no romantic love, but there was trust. And that's all that was really needed. Though he was feeling playful, so he sat down on the edge of the bed in front of Chazz, and leaned down with a tease, "Maybe if you asked nicely."

Chazz looked at him in an annoyed fashion. Bastion was practically telling her to beg. She wasn't one to be the submissive type, and despite being a virgin, she knew a thing or two about being sexy after reading historical romance novels, and watching hardcore historically inspired movies and tv shows. Sex in historical genre always did seem a lot more raw in its portrayal.

He smirked sexily at Bastion with bedroom eyes as he shed off his jacket, took off his shirt like a woman* in one fell swoop, and was now left only in his sports bra, tight black pants, and socks. He gently pushed the dumbfounded Bastion onto his bed, and loomed over him hungrily.

"This is how I ask nicely."

 _Song: Kisses Down Low - Kelly Rowland_

The next morning, Chazz exited that room a new woman and a refreshed man. Bastion was lying on his bed completely in bliss.

._._._.

 **Episode 36-37**

 _Song: First - SoMo_

Two weeks went by that it was almost the end of April, and there was a noticeable lack of duelists. They investigated this, and found a coliseum that was built by their classmates and Crowler who were persuaded by the Amazon, Tania, who was looking for a husband. No surprise that Bastion was chosen. Chazz would've done the same if he was looking for someone with both the brains and the body that could slam them down. Although, the match was really painful to match. Not because Chazz was getting possessive or jealous, but because of how Tania had no idea of how to flirt with a man, and the fact that it was working on Bastion. For a man who prides himself to not be carried away by the throes of emotions, he fell pretty easily, which was disappointing for Chazz who never let love make him do stupid things during a duel. No wonder the genius was easy to nab into their beneficial relationship. He was a complete idiot when it came to them.

As far as Chazz was aware of it, only Vivian knew about them. There was no point in telling Zane. Bastion and Chazz didn't act lovey dovey at all beyond the bed.

After the love-idiot lost, the rest of them were ran out by the tiger. Chazz knew how to fight, but not against a tiger! They waited near the coliseum just in case something horrible was happening to Bastion, like him getting eaten by that tiger. However, all they heard was the screams of the dork losing all night in a duel. Though, Chazz almost believed that he was screaming for a different reason.

The helpless nerd was returned to them the next morning after being dumped by Tania, but he was still a lovesick fool. He spent a majority of his recent freedom staring into the clouds and groaning, "Tania...Oh Tania, my love..."

"It looks like your boy toy has it bad." Vivian commented while her and Chazz were having lunch on a tree branch.

The lithe teen shrugged. "Yeah, but it'll all work out since that chick with the tiger is a shadow rider."

"In other words, let Jaden handle it."

"Pretty much. I mean I could win the duels, but Jaden is the one who'll give it life lessons, and all that shabobaloo. Right now, I just want to enjoy my school life after the hell I've went through. I'll duel anyone I deem worthy of my time."

Vivian didn't say anything to that. She was glad to see that Chazz was emotionally stable, even during a time when his boy toy is in love with another woman. It showed that his heart and mind matured and didn't question the nature of things in a way that led him to believe he was at fault and worthless.

That meant she could joke, "So if Bastion quits being your boy toy, will you ask Zane?"

Chazz spit out his water. "Za-Zane?! Why would I ask him to be my boy toy?! I only asked Bastion cuz we both know that we're never going to fall in love, but with Zane, it'll be complicated!

"Oh, so you have a crush on Zane?"

"No! Maybe? I haven't had time to think about that. I pretty much just started feeling truly confident in myself, but I still have doubts that I can function enough to date. It's too soon for me. Besides, I think he's asexual or demisexual."

"Maybe pansexual. You don't fit that category either."

"Don't make me push your fat-ass off this branch."

"Try me, has-been."

The two ate their last piece of their sandwiches, gulped down their drinks, and then jumped down. Chazz lost his footing when he saw Zane leaning against the tree that they were using, and it looked like he was there for awhile.

"Zane?! What are you doing here?!" He felt pretty proud for not spluttering.

The stoic young man spoke, "I wanted to see how you were doing with this whole Bastion love fiasco since he is in our little group, but it looks like I've been the odd man out all along."

"Odd man out? What d'you mean? Okay, Bastion and I have a relationship, but it's only a friends-with-benefits kind of thing, and Vivian only knows because she's my watcher. It's not big news."

"I know. I've been listening, and I also came here because I got a message from Alexis that we're going to the duel arena to try to help get Bastion's spirits up." He approached the younger male who lightly blushed. Zane spared him a friendly smile, and placed a hand on his shoulder, "If you are looking for someone as a test run for a date, I wouldn't mind lending a hand, though I have never gone on a date myself."

"Neither have I." That dinner date with Seto didn't count. "I appreciate the offer, but your graduating this year, so let's not make this complicated. I'm only apprehensive when it comes to you because I kissed you out of the blue. I still feel humiliated for doing that." She turned her head away from him, but then the blue-haired gentleman placed his fingers on her chin to turn her attention back to him, and warm lips were on hers.

"There. Now we're even."

Chazz felt his face blow steam after reaching the highest level of red. Rage smothered the happiness of being kissed by someone like Zane. "E-Even?! How is that even!?"

"I did that on impulse as well."

"Impulse?! No! You planned that, you cheater! Dammit! You and Syrus are the same! You two act like you have no social skills, but you're both secretly evil little shits! I swear that I'll never marry a Truesdale!"

Zane laughed loud and clearly, which only made the hermaphrodite more infuriated! Vivian was still not used to hearing the stoic male laugh so expressively. Chazz had no idea what she bought out of him.

When they finally cooled down, they, except for Vivian, arrived at the duel arena. Jaden offered to duel Bastion, but the love-idiot couldn't because apparently dueling was nothing without love. Chazz did an eye roll to that. No surprise, Jaden decided that he would duel Tania to show Bastion that dueling can be full of passion without it. And so, the Slifer did just that, and it turned out that Tania was actually a tiger.

Chazz held back his laughter, but he couldn't help teasing the love-sick fool. For their beneficial relationship, however, that had to be put on hold. The heart-broken Ra Yellow needed time to get over Tania without using Chazz as a rebound, which would've made things complicated between them. The ravenet was cool with that. Besides, it wasn't like Bastion was his only partner. Just the only one who wasn't a one-night stand, but he was the only one who could see his both his genitals.

._._._.

 **Episode 38**

 _Song: Cry - Mandy Moore_

Syrus finally discovered how terrible a friend Jaden could be. Trading your best friend's bed for a card? And Chazz thought he was a bastard. To add to the drama, a submarine arrived with some funky looking pirate-wannabe who wanted to duel the brunet, and Syrus refused to go with them. Chazz was proud that the little guy refused. Showed that he actually had some self-respect for himself.

In the sub, a ton of miscommunication happened that led to the pirate-wannabe kidnapping Jaden. Syrus was predictably down about it. The grey-eyed dancer pointed out that at least he had a bed to sleep on, which the twerp did take advantage of, but he was still sad. Chazz left him be because Jaden was bound to return eventually since he had a spirit key, and everything would return to the way it was.

Though one night, Chazz needed to take a leak, so went the restroom. When she was returning back to her room, she stopped at the stairs when she noticed a weird blue hair sticking out in the darkness. Her heart told her to reach out to the midget since Syrus had acted kind to her when she cried.

She approached the huddled teen and just sat down next to him. The Slifer dorm was a shitty place, but the best perks were the food, and also a comfy cliff that had the view of the ocean, the sounds of soft roaring waves that crashed against the rocks, and all the twinkling stars and the darkness that Chazz loved looking at as company. It was a sanctuary for deep thoughts.

"You know he's returning right." Chazz decided to talk without facing the greyish-green-eyed teen. Syrus nodded with a small moan. "Then why are you moping? Jaden has a duty to guard his spirit key, and an underwater duel academy is one of the stupidest, if not dangerous, ideas. One crack, and everyone's a goner."

"I know." Syrus mumbled.

Chazz felt frustrated because she honestly didn't know what to say to make this better. That was Jaden's job. That idiot knew how to talk to people and make friends while Chazz got her friends through pity or compassion and concern. They just sat there awkwardly until Syrus laid his head against her arm. Chazz's hand brushed against his, and she could feel how cold the fragile dwarf was. It was possible that the grey-eyed duelist must've missed seeing him earlier. Chazz also noticed that Syrus did sleep through class, but that was only natural. Now, she understood that the helpless Truesdale had been doing this for the past two days because he couldn't bear to use Jaden's bed.

Chazz quickly removed her jacket to wrap around Syrus, and used her sleeves to wipe away the tear streaks on the reddened face. Syrus weakly complained, "Your jacket stinks. I think my face smells like fish now."

"Shut it. Just be grateful that I bothered doing this...and...I'm thanking you. You saw me cry before, and cheered me up without being so dramatic, and I'm just trying to do the same. And I know I suck at it, but..." She turned her back away from him on that cliff. Lowly did she say the next three words, "We're friends, right."

Syrus gasped because he caught the words. He stared at Chazz's back that looked stiff and uncomfortable.

Then Chazz forcefully yelled, "So if you can't sleep on that stupid slacker's bed, then just come to my bed! It's big enough for three people, but you better leave before anyone sees you come out of my room! I don't want any weird rumors! Alright!" Her body stiffened more because that was such a weird offer! They weren't that close, but she didn't want Syrus sitting here at night, freezing his ass of like this! She wasn't that big of a jackass!

She next felt a thump on her back. She was surprised yet relieved to have Syrus lie his head against her and whisper, "Thank you."

With those words, Chazz quickly got up, took his hand, and pulled him to her room. She set the alarm for when the depressed moron should get up and leave. "This is your side, and this will be mine." She got comfortable on her side, and Syrus got comfortable on his end, and the exhausted Slifer knocked out with ease. Chazz was comforted to hear his soft snoring. The good feeling in her heart felt embarrassing to feel, so she tried to smother it to get some sleep herself.

For the rest of that week, Syrus slept on her bed secretly until Jaden finally returned. Chazz and Syrus never spoke of those private nights afterwards. Not even about the times when they would whisper to assure the other that it was going to happen, or when they stayed up one night to talk about a childhood show that they both coincidentally loved, or that purple morning when they found each other snuggled in each other's arms for warmth when the heater wasn't working. That was only a few days. Five at most. Barely a week. And yet during meals, Syrus would pass Chazz an appreciative smile that almost bordered affection. That only made Chazz want to bully him more, so everything could return to normal and feel like it! The little shit knew what she was doing, so smiled that affectionate smile to make the bullying backfire.

Jaden couldn't help noticing how close they became. Well, Chazz attacking Syrus always did seem playful, but now, he couldn't help thinking it looked almost...affectionate. He felt something raw and dark when he thought that, but he ignored it. He was probably imagining things. He was gone for just a week after all, and everything else seemed normal, like him, Syrus and Chumley running late for class.

While they ran, up in the sky, Crimson was growling. "I was gone for a few months, and my dad gets kidnapped! And now my mom is in some kind of relationship with Bastion, and something's up with her and the Truesdales! Dammit dad! Work harder!"

The Light petted her granddaughter's burning head. Ah, drama.

._._._.

 **Episode 39-42**

Chazz dueled his first shadow rider which were a bunch of duel monster thieves that came to life. He decided to duel them since he noticed that they weren't evil like that Camula chick, and he was used to having so many duel spirits around, so adding a few more wouldn't hurt. It was also fun being the star in this event.

It didn't take long for the next shadow rider to appear after having detention because of the slifer duo, and this one was also a great disappointment. It was just some spoiled Egyptian prince who only became a legend because his servants made him win. Despite the truth coming out, Jaden acted like he became some great legend. Chazz swore that if he had the permission, he'd end him. He could snap his neck like a twig, but choking him would have to do for now. He wished Jaden went with Abidos, but Syrus would be depressed again, and Chazz couldn't have that.

Next, the sixth shadow rider arrived, and it was some guy that Crowler paid to help get rid of Jaden, but he got consumed by the shadows, and now he was back. He was the one who took Atticus' memories just to lure Alexis, but she got it back after winning the duel. Finally, Atticus was able to tell them about what happened in the abandoned dorm. However, he couldn't remember anything except that it was professor Banner who was involved.

And it so happened that the man went missing. Chazz used his powers to sense duel energy, however, something wasn't right. Banner's energy was distorted and weak. He turned to Vivian for answers, and she knew about what was going on, but told him to let Jaden handle this. He was the person who Banner wanted to duel. It made the pale duelist a little peeved because he did want to take it easy, but he was getting bored.

Vivian just told him to look forward to Duel Monsters Spirit Day.

When the day came, Chazz figured that he can't just stop trying to find Banner. He was far too curious of why his energy felt odd now that he paid attention to it, so he planned to find his cat! Pharaoh was always with him, so if he found Pharaoh, he would find the professor! He spent the morning doing that until it was time for Syrus' event. He wasn't one to go half-ass to an event, so of course, he ordered for the XYZ dragon cannon costume! He couldn't duel in it, so he was willing to act as Syrus' co-commentator since the little guy was helpless in explaining a duel. Have you seen his grades?

Alexis' costume was great. Chazz couldn't help being weak to pointy ears and purple hair. He was a fan of fantasy and scifi literature, and the top female obelisk could definitely portray as a few of his favorite fictional characters.

Bastion came dressed as an Amazon tiger. Chazz was told that he was going to dress like that two days ago in his room. His reaction was to first silently walk out to go to the restroom to relieve himself before heading back into the room, and burst out laughing to the point that he swore he would've peed his pants if he hadn't done that!

Jaden acted like the fusion-addict he was and mixed a bunch of duel monster parts together. Chazz could mock him, but the happy-go-lucky idiot would've found a compliment in it.

The event was about to happen, and Chazz made Jaden volunteer to duel since he had to admit that if they wanted a show, the slacker was the second best to go. The first being himself of course.

There was almost going to be no one for the brunet to duel until the Dark Magician Girl arrived. Chazz could not refuse her! Especially after putting the effort to look just like the card! The duel started, and Chazz was neutral among the opponents unlike Syrus and a majority of the crowd. However, when it looked like the girl was going to win, the ravenet was not happy. This female showed up out of nowhere, and hot or not, he was going to be the one to defeat the slacker! He was relieved when Jaden took hold of the duel and won.

Chazz used her powers after the duel, so she could quickly leave because she still had her dance performance to do. She arrived at the Obelisk duel arena where the performance was supposed to happen, but then, Ms. Bellaforte sadly told her that it had to be cancelled because a majority of the musicians and guys who were supposed to help were absent because of some Slifer event.

The dancer was deeply disappointed, but she knew she'll have another chance someday.

"Aw, boss. And I was looking so forward to seeing your performance under the spotlights!" Don Zaloog, his crew, and the other duel spirits pouted.

Chazz didn't like those long faces, and the piano was still on the stage, so she knew the right person to rely on. Vivian appeared just in time, and took over the piano, and she used her phone to control the stage lights and other electronics to work this performance. The dancer thanked her childhood friend who knew how to set the stage!

She smirked at her duel spirits, "Who said the performance was cancelled. Nuh huh. Not on The Chazz! You guys take your seats. You'll be my audience." She stepped onto the stage in the costume, mask, and wig of the ballerina in the Doble Passe trap card. Vivian played her music, and Chazz danced for her duel spirits to show them her hard work and talent mixed and poured into each and every one of her move.

The Dark Scorpion Gang felt privileged to witness her performance before Chazz had to return back to the Slifer party in her costume. Though as she was leaving, she thought she saw the Dark Magician Girl among the crowd, but she was probably imagining things.

._._._.

 **Episode 44-46**

Professor Banner was still missing, so Chazz took it upon himself to play detective! He did amazing the last time, so he was confident that he wasn't going to fail this time. However, he accidentally made a miscalculation that led him to believing that Ms. Dorothy was a shadow rider. But hey, it was the evidence's fault! Luckily Sy- HE found the map that had an alchemy symbol on it!

And he valiantly led the expedition to get to the alchemy mark with the solid plan of finding Pharaoh! Of course, the expedition met some troubles because Syrus was acting like the little shit he was with his cat joke, and snakes were falling everywhere! Also after talking about what they liked about Professor Banner, they realized that he's an asshole! But they still looked for him because he wasn't a bad person. He was responsible for all the delicious fried shrimps after all.

Then, like a miracle, they heard Pharaoh's purr. He was the only cat on the island after all. They split up to find him. Chazz found him first with that strange alchemy sign that led him to a trail of his clothes. Chazz was used to following a trail of clothes after some intimate exercise, but he was hoping for dear life that this man had kept his pants on at least.

Ojama Yellow warned him that something bad was going to happen, but he wasn't afraid. He could handle anyone, even in a duel. His opponent arrived in some crazy looking outfit while standing on water. Chazz tried it himself, and it was totally awesome! He dueled his opponent with all he got, but this stranger attacked him with monsters and attacks he never saw before!

"CHAZZ!" Vivian was going to leap in between him and the stranger, but she was stopped by the Light.

"You can't stop that tome from taking her. It's the rules of the duel. But don't worry. She's in a safe place, and that little dark prince will save the day." She said with a deceptively sweet voice. "Let's just hope she doesn't wake up."

But Chazz did. He woke up in his sphere prison that floated outside of the Earth with an unconscious Alexis and Atticus. He tried to use his powers to teleport them out of there, but his powers weren't working for some reason.

His heart tightened, and then quickened it beats sharply. His breathing became ragged. His eyes dilated as he tried to search for anyone who could help him. He tried screaming and pounding the sphere for Alexis and Atticus to wake up, but none of them even flinched or twitched a finger.

If they can't hear him, no one would cry for him. He didn't know how this world worked. He could be there for years, but without food or water, he could die within days. He didn't want to think of what his prison keepers would do to him. It was the shadow riders, right? So if they rule the world, then this was their way of torturing him for being a key keeper? Will they make him watch the world degrade into nothing? Knowing that everyone he loved will die? The people he loved weren't normal people, but he didn't know how strong those Sacred Beast cards were!

He had to get out! HE HAD TO GET OUT!

He tried to break the sphere with the hope that he could survive with his powers! He just had to get out. Too many people will die. Too many...He felt like he couldn't let it happen _**again**_.

"I can't be a prisoner! I can't! can't! Someone let me out! Someone please let me out! I can't! I ca..." He felt his lungs clogged up, making it hard for him to breathe. "someone please..." He begged weakly. Tears leaking out of his eyes from the lack of oxygen. "Bro...Se...Jo...Yu...Anyo..."

The space around him began to shift in front of his eyes. He began seeing white...white walls. His senses heightened to the silence around him. What he sensed was nothing. There was nothing. There was no sound. No heat or cold. No corners to feel to check if he was numbed. He saw no one. Only white.

Only white.

"It's such a pure room isn't it." It told him. "So fitting for an impure person such as yourself who clung to the dirt of this world filled with mistakes. If you just start over, you'd be pure and loved the way you deserved. The way I'm treating you now. Who could ever love such an impure person like yourself _**but me.**_ "

A black gust hit him. He could see nothing except for a black claw heading his way. Chazz could do nothing as it neared her chest. It was over. Nothing could stop it. But then Chazz saw her shadow take shape and grab it's wrist. The shadow rose and it was weak, but it used all its might to hold back the cruel darkness.

"Hao-"

The shadow dispersed into nothing, and the claw came, but also a light came to protect him. Everything faded away from his sight, and he was back in space. He was confused. He didn't remember what just happened to him. Did he black out? He was so confused, but he noticed that he didn't feel as scared anymore because he felt a love.

Where did it come from? Chazz didn't know Atticus well, so it must be Alexis. Was the female obelisk secretly in love with him? Was that where this love was coming from?

He believed it was as he heard Jaden's voice in the background, and it sounded like he was dueling. So he was going to save Chazz. The teen didn't know how to feel about that because this love he felt...he wanted to be soaked into its soft airy feel for an eternity.

 **BLACK OUT**

 _Song: Sad Machine - Porter Robinson covered by Didrick & Ember Island_

Chazz calmly woke up to see Vivian sitting by his bed in his room. Alexis and Atticus were sent to the infirmary. They were fine and only needed rest, so Chazz was allowed to just remain on his own bed.

"Vivian?"

The electric lavender haired girl looked over at him from her comic book. She casually asked, "Hey. Do you remember anything?"

Chazz only saw black before he felt the need to flinch when some of the memories hit him, but his body felt too numbed to react. "Just...just losing a duel. And being stuck in space...and love. I think...I think that while I was in space, my powers allowed me to feel Alexis' love for me."

Vivian knew that was not true at all, but hey, at least Chazz had something to help him cope with his traumatic experience. Alexis will shoot him down, and he'll be okay.

._._._.

 **Episode 47 (This is such a painful episode)**

 _Song: I need a lover - John Cougar Mellencamp_

Chazz was sure of it! Alexis was in love with him, and after thinking about it, he was sure he was in love with her, too! He gave his whole heart to Alexis which meant that no one, not even his duel monsters, had room to be in it. He let them scatter into the wind.

He then couldn't understand why she wasn't hanging out with him! Instead, she hung out with her big brother, Atticus, or even worse, Jaden! And there was Zane, too! Those two always hung out next to the light house, and are almost always together when something happens! Yeah, he kissed Zane, and Zane kissed him, and his heart belonged to Alexis, and if Zane liked her, then too bad! Chazz was going to win!

Vivian immediately regretted her choice in letting Chazz believe that Alexis confessed to him.

"Are you going to fix this?" Bastion questioned. He heard about Chazz's kidnapping, and wanted to make sure his former dance partner was okay. Chazz obviously wasn't. Now he understood how much of an idiot he acted when he fell for Tania.

"Nope. And I'm not really at fault with the kidnapping either, if you thought I wasn't doing my job." Vivian did the best she could, but she couldn't defy the laws of a shadow duel.

Bastion understood. "Of course not. Chazz chose to duel without knowing the consequences. What I do like to know is two things: One, why does he thinks Alexis is in love with him? We both know that isn't true. Alexis obviously has feelings for Jaden, not Chazz. And two, Why are you allowing him to believe this lie?"

She flatly answered, "One, I've been informed by my people (aka Crimson who can look into people's dreams and memories) that Chazz was triggered after he woke up in his space prison. I was hoping he wouldn't, but he did, and I had to leave everything for that Jaden guy to fix much to my frustration."

The genius only noted one detail in her answer, "Triggered? You mean that the traumatic experience that he went through as a child was triggered by the kidnapping? Was Chazz kidnapped as a child?" He inquired.

Vivian sighed, "Classified. So number two, Chazz's coping with this trauma by confabulating Alexis's feelings. He did his before with his brothers. They were actually very loving and supportive, but because of what happened, Chazz confabulated memories where they were abusive and neglectful. We're lucky that this time, he's confabulating something good. Who knows what will happen if he confabulated memories where you're a backstabber."

"But I'd never do that." The supportive Ra Yellow was insulted.

"Doesn't matter. Chazz will distort reality to suit his emotions. Let's just hope that he doesn't do something incredibly stupid with these feelings."

"If he does, you will stop him, won't you?"

"Nope. I was given the duty to not interfere with Chazz's choices unless they include self-harm."

"Ah..." Bastion wasn't sure if he could watch over Chazz like Vivian does, so he could prevent him from doing something stupid like buying a life size statue of Alexis made out of chocolate instead of just asking her out like a normal person. The genius would want to stop that, but he had projects and homework to do, so he left Vivian to her job.

Vivian actually left Chazz a bit to get his cards back together. While she did, the black Slifer went to the beach to sulk. He...never asked a girl out before. He had sex with females before, but that was a completely different matter. Alexis wasn't just some girl he wanted to sleep with! She was someone he wanted to be all lovey dovey with!

But how?!

Then it hit him! Alexis' brother, Atticus! He's a chick magnet and he obviously knew Alexis best, so he was perfect for the job...until that resulted in a humiliating duel that he lost, and his duel energy provided the last bit of energy needed to unlock the spirit gate, and Jaden had to save the world again...And in the midst of it, Vivian unhelpfully helped them by making it all happen. They didn't sneak into the Chancellor's office that easy without her of course. She also taped everything that happened, and showed it to Seto Kaiba, and the reaction she took a picture of was priceless.

And now, Chazz was sitting at Zane's room with the older obelisk and Ra Yellow glaring down at him. They didn't scold him however. It was true that Chazz did something incredibly stupid, but it was mostly Atticus' fault, but then again, the womanizer had no idea how messy Chazz's mind was, and Vivian was just doing her job at staying in the sidelines. Or so they believed.

Zane sighed exhaustively. It had been a rough day, and he just wanted to get this over with. "Chazz...Just don't follow Atticus' advice anymore."

"But-"

"No buts." He softly snapped like a parent. "I understand that you were not at fault for what happened earlier, but right now, graduation is less than three months away, and I would like it if you didn't try to impress Alexis in the mean time. It'll give me a sense of peace knowing you aren't, so can you promise me that, Chazz? That you won't try to impress Alexis in the mean time?"

Chazz pouted like a kicked puppy, but he nodded. Zane was graduating, and he could've been in class instead of being dragged into his shenanigans. He reluctantly, yet sincerely vowed, "I promise that I won't try to impress Alexis."

Zane appreciated the sincere promise. "Thank you."

Bastion had nothing to say. The graduating teen already said what needed to be said, but just to let Chazz knew he cared, "And also be careful. It's no surprise that your energy was all the spirit keys needed to be powerful enough to unlock those gates. For everyone's sake, mostly yours included, promise us that if another supernatural duel happens, you won't partake in it unless you have no choice."

Chazz knew that also meant that he couldn't be included in the fun anymore, but he promised to do that to.

That night at the beach, Atticus was given the news that he wasn't going to try to pursue Alexis for the rest of this year.

"What?! Why?! Was it because of what happened earlier? I thought we cleared it up that it wasn't your fault!" Atticus was not amused at all! Chazz was trying his damn hardest to impress Alexis! He never met someone so passionate and pure for his sister! He also couldn't help being mad because he also felt guilty.

Chazz nodded sadly. "But it's only for this school year, so when it's the new school year, I'll try my hardest to get Alexis to agree to be my girlfriend with your help if you'll help me!"

"Of course! Now, that's the spirit!" The aspired pop star felt moved by Chazz's sincere words. "But man, I wish there was a way I could still help you, like give you tips on what to do during a date, but I always believed action talk louder than words. I'd like it if I could let you tag along during one of my dates, but that would be disrespectful to my girls. If only you were a girl, Chazz, and I'd take you on a date."

The pale duelist was a hermaphrodite, but she was only half a woman, so Chazz figured Atticus, a true woman lover, wouldn't fancy the idea of both his genitalia. Yet, her woman side blushed at the idea of being asked out on a date. Then an idea finally hit her! "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Tomorrow is the weekend! Do you have any dates planned tomorrow?"

"Uh," Atticus eyebrows furrowed, completely confused by the spontaneous question. "None at the moment."

"Great! Then meet me at the front of the school at eleven in the morning! I'll be the one wearing the sun hat with the purple ribbon!"

"Huh?" The Casanova was at a lost of what Chazz meant by that, but the strange teen already deserted him.

The next day, Atticus was waiting at the front of the school waiting for Chazz to show up.

Zane was taking his morning walks, and he saw him. "Atticus? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Zane. I don't know. Chazz said to meet him here. Something about a sun hat."

"Chazz? Sun hat?" Why did that give him a bad feeling.

Soon, the students that were hanging around whispered to each other of who was the girl walking toward the main building.

They looked to the person who was making the buzz, and they were welcomed by girl wearing an a-line ruffled off the shoulder dress with purple straps and a thin purple ribbon tied around the waist, and at her feet were white wedges. Her silky black hair cascaded midway down her back, and her makeup made her appear absolutely natural and cute. She was also wearing the sun hat with the purple ribbon that Atticus was supposed to spot.

"Atticus!" Chazz called out with her tomboyish female voice.

"CHA-MM?!" Zane covered Atticus' mouth.

The interboy stopped a few feet of them with a confused expression, "Zane? What are you doing here?"

"That's what I would like to ask. What are you and Atticus planning?" He questioned, suspicious.

Chazz glared at him. "It's none of your business! I'm not planning to trick Alexis or anything, so you can leave! Bye, bye."

"I'll leave when I get an explanation. You should know that this place doesn't condone you straying away from the rules." He was hinting at the fact that the school recognized Chazz as a boy, and Zane will tattle tale if he was given good reason to.

The interboy was offended by his rude interference, but she supposed that she had no choice. "Okay, fine! Atticus and I are going out on a date!"

"WHAT?!" Both older students cried out. That erupted more whispers behind them. They knew they needed privacy, so they pulled Chazz over to the light house where no one could listen without being in sight. Though, Vivian may be hiding somewhere.

They demanded an explanation, and Chazz excitedly gave them one, "Since I'm forbidden from pursuing Alexis until you graduate, I figured that I should at least work on my dating skills! And since Atticus can't let me tag along on his dates, I figured I'd pretend to be his date! This way, I can fully learn of how to treat my date! Don't I look amazing?!" She twirled in her flowing dress.

Atticus was too shocked to speak a long sentence. He saw Chazz as one-hundred percent male, but damn did he look cute. "Uh, yeah, Chazz. You look...great."

Zane sighed with a face palm. He guessed he did only make Chazz promise not to bother Alexis, and who was he to ruin her fun. He was sure nothing terrible would happen with this since it's only make-believe. "I supposed I could be okay with this., but Atticus," He placed a very firm hold on the womanizer's shoulder, "You better not do anything I wouldn't approve of."

"Why would you think I would do anything?!" His best friend knew that he was one-hundred percent straight, right?!

His reaction told Zane that his best friend didn't know the truth, and that was a comfort. He knew Atticus was one-hundred percent straight, so he left them to continue his walk after telling Chazz to be careful and good luck. She'll need it.

Atticus watched his friend leave him in a weird position. He didn't like the awkward atmosphere, so he quickly said, "Uhm, Chazz. I applaud your courage to come out here dressed like that,"

"Oh, it didn't take that much courage. I'm fine with being dressed like a woman if it means that I can get closer to winning Alexis' heart, and not only that," The half-female looked down shyly with her cheeks tinted pink, eyes twinkling, "But I also get to spend time with you, Atticus. The way you encouraged and helped me try to obtain your sister's heart, I could never find a better teacher of love than you. But I'm aware that I did this without your knowledge, so if you're uncomfortable, I'll take this off, and try to learn another way." She really didn't want to, but she can't force the guy.

Atticus felt his heart strings yanked on! Chazz may be a man to him, but the dude was currently dressed like the cutest girl he ever saw! Also, something about the way he looks looked familiar like a beautiful woman he once saw when he was in the infirmary, and that just compelled him to give in. "I guess that since you put it that way, how can I decline? But I would've liked it if you gave me a warning, so here's your first lesson: Obviously you should ask a person out on a date, but do it after you have the date planned. That way there's never a dull moment when you two are together!"

Chazz gasped at her first lesson. "Of course! I'm sorry for pulling you into this without planning it through. I just got so excited for our first pretend date. I swear I'll warn you next time, but you must have plenty of girls lining up for a date, so it's probably best that you tell me."

"Sounds good, but we only have less than three months, so how about we have three dates a week?"

"Three?"

"Of course! But in Duel Academy, if you and my sis were an official couple, you'd be on a date every day because you just can't get enough of each other! But I can only give you three at best! Is that okay with you? How does Sunday, Wednesday and Friday sound?"

"Sounds perfect!" Chazz was really happy that she was getting somewhere in her nonexistent love life! "So, now that we got the planning down, what are we going to do now?"

"Hmm, why not go for something simple. Anything can happen in a date as long as the two of you are together, but it's best to start with something simple, so we can get to know each other. So how does a lunch date at the Obelisk' restaurant sound?" He asked suggestively with a wink.

Any girl would've had hearts in their eyes, but Chazz wasn't that girl. She simply answered, "Perfect."

"Then shall we go m'lady?" The experienced gentleman extended his arm to her.

Chazz happily hooked hers with his. "You bet!"

The two began walking, and Atticus couldn't help asking as they did, "So where did you get your outfit?"

"I bought them just for these occasions. You never know if you need to wear a dress." The interboy answered honestly. Though it didn't hint at all about his intersex gender.

"Oh, that's cool. I should probably do the same." He joked.

The bigendered duelist couldn't help snorting at that, and that caused an array of giggling, teasing, and joking between them about women's clothes. Girls that were wondering around noticed them, and they were used to the sight since they knew Atticus loved them all equally.

At the restaurant, the two then engaged in getting to know each other better such as their favorite artists, their favorite sports, etc. They had a few differences that interested the other, and a few similarities that made them connect on new levels. After finishing lunch, the two went on a walk at the beach barefoot. The cool, soft fizzling feel of the thinning waves going back and forth soothed their feet as they held hands and talked about what was great about the beach. Then Atticus took out his ukelele out of nowhere and began singing for her when they took a seat. Atticus provided his own white jacket for Chazz to sit on so she didn't dirty her dress. The interboy wasn't a fan of Atticus' singing, but she guessed it worked on other girls. They then went into talking about random topics until the sunset came, and they watched it silently with a blanket that Atticus had one of his male fans bring, so they could keep warm as the wind got chilly. They then used the blanket to lie down and watch the stars. The two engaged in conversation about their hopes and dreams.

Unexpectedly, Atticus found himself talking about his terrifying experience of becoming Nightshroud. He never wanted to talk about it, and he never did with any of the girls he dated recently, and those girls were also laid down under the stars with him. "I'm aware of what Nightshroud made me do, but I don't remember any of it." His lids lowered halfway with his mouth slightly parted to take in a small deep breath. Even after Banner was taken down, he still had the nightmares, and he tried to remain positive throughout the day to distract himself from feeling helpless.

His life currently felt like a peaceful cloud above the storm, but even he began to descend and grey into the calamity.

But then, Chazz's voice rang clear through him. "It didn't make you do anything." She assured him. "From how I see it, that thing possessed your body like a ghost, and knocked you out when it did that. The only thing that you're responsible for is how you deal with the aftermath, and in my opinion, you're doing great. Though sounds like you should go see a therapist, or have you always been this overly energetic? Jaden's kind of the same, but he's a lost cause."

Atticus rose an eyebrow. Chazz said something offensive, but it came off as cute and endearing to him. He felt a warmth in his chest by how his little protege of love talked to him with a mix of kindness and heartlessness. "Heh. So you're saying that the devil made me do it."

"We have proof, so if we were in the middle of the Salem Witch Trials, you'd be set free."

"But the judge would probably be jealous of my good looks, and have me hanged anyway."

They laughed together before Chazz's laughter died down to settle for a warm smile. Her starry grey eyes looking up at not the stars but the darkness in between them. She remembered the shadow that gave her the confidence to help Atticus wake from his coma. "You know...the darkness isn't such a bad place."

"I'm guessing you haven't been possessed by a demonic being of the shadows." Atticus also joked about that, but the nyctophile took it seriously, and shook her head.

"There is a bad side to darkness like how it hides the bad people and gives anxiety over the oblivion, but there's also a good side. A gentle side to it like this night sky. Even if the moon or stars were gone, I'd still look up and gaze at the night sky, and it'd calm me down, and I don't feel alone." Chazz let his upper eyelids drop, remembering the gentle feelings the shadow gave her too long ago. "It's like closing my eyes and knowing that the blackness that I see will only be filled with dreams and happy memories. And if not, then I'm in a world of floating tranquility as if I'm either meditating or sleeping. There will be nightmares and bad thoughts, but the darkness is not only filled with that. There's love."

"..."

Atticus was speechless. He felt like he should be doubtful of Chazz's words, but the way the darkly dressed teen said it with a soft, benign voice that was reminiscing the loving embrace from a dear loved one who'd wrap their arms firmly yet not too tightly around him as if he was fragile. The air was chilly, but Atticus' chest felt warmer as if he drank hot cocoa, and his senses heightened by the caffeine.

It was soon getting late, so Atticus snuck Chazz into his bedroom where the teen could use his bathroom to wash away the makeup, and use his long overcoat to hide his female clothes and put his wig in one of its large pocket.

"Thanks for teaching me today. I learned a lot, Atticus. I look forward to our next date if you'll have me."

"Definitely. I had a lot of fun, too. How does walking through Duel Academy's garden sound?"

"Sounds romantic! Oh and one question, do couples kiss on the first or third date?" That was an important question.

The love expert did his thinking pose that had his head tilted slightly down, eyes close, and fingers at his chin. "In my experience, I'd say first date because a kiss determines if the person enjoyed the date or not. But it's best to start on the cheek. Don't want to be too forward."

"I see. So like this?" Chazz got on her toes and kissed the obelisk's cheek. She didn't think it was a bad thing to do since it was just on a cheek, and they were already beyond weird at this point.

Atticus knew that the act should've weird him out, but instead, he felt his heart skip a beat and that put his chest into turmoil.

"So like that?" The inexperienced teen questioned uncertainly.

"Uhm," The brunet forced an answer out, "Yeah! Just like that, and then you tell them that you'll see them later! Don't ask her if the kiss was good though. Just kiss and say farewell! Goodnight, Chazzy!"

CLOSE!

Atticus didn't mean to close the door on him, but something was wrong with his chest! He quickly called Zane who picked up after he called for the fifth time.

"What is it, Atticus?" No one but him would be that stubborn to wake him.

"Oh hey, Zane! Just calling to ask a weird question! I know you can keep a secret, so I'm going to be right out with it! So you know that Chazz and I gone out on a date, and we did what I normally do with any girl. Feed them, take long walks with them, compliment and sing to them, and then gaze at the stars. All that stuff, but out of nowhere, Chazz and I got really too deep into conversation, and he kissed me on the cheek to test his kissing-cheek skills, and it was totally fine! But for some weird reason, I feel confused now! I know I'm straight! You know that right, Zane?!"

"I do." He answered simply.

"Then what's wrong with me?! Am I discovering a new side to myself, or am I just curious?! You have to help me out, dude! Chazz is a nice guy, but I just restarted my teenage years here, and I don't want to get involved in that kind of drama like what happened to our other classmate Billy before he transferred out!"

Zane sighed with a groan mixed in there. He was on the verge of sleep, and all he wanted was to push his hand through the speaker and hoped it would allow him to strangle Atticus until he knocked out. But he was a patient person. He somewhat caught the gist of what his best friend was telling him. He wasn't an expert on relationships, but he's been paying attention. "Atticus, I think the answer is simple. Chazz dressed up like a girl, and even sounds like one, so your mind is mistaking him for a girl. And you also recognized him as a friend unlike your usual dates, so it's only natural that you two would get more involved with each other. It happens when you date friends." Though he couldn't believe that it could happen this fast.

"But I wouldn't be confused if you were dressed as a girl." The brunet pointed out.

"Be honest with me, Atticus. Do I look like the type of person who can get away with wearing a dress?"

The creative one in their friendship tried imagining it, and it came out wrong. "No way. You'd look scary, man."

"So I make my point. You just have to remember that Chazz is a guy and you're just mixing business with pleasure. Do I make myself clear?"

"Got it! Thanks, Zane. Knew I could count on you, buddy. Goodnight."

"Night." Zane hung up the phone, and he felt like something bad could happen, but there's no way Atticus would actually fall for Chazz. He was pretty sure Chazz wasn't his type.

._._._.

 _Song: Teenage Dream - Katy Perry covered by Glee (Acoustic Version)_

It was nearing the last month before graduation, and Atticus swore he was in love. Chazz and him pretended to date for just about two months, but Atticus knew he was the one for him. Alexis and others told him about Chazz's bad attitude and the bad things he did during his first two weeks in Duel Academy, but the man saw a side to Chazz that they didn't, or so he believed.

Chazz was snobby, rude, and at times deemed crazy when he's caught talking to his imaginary friends, but the duelist was actually also secretly kind and extremely observant of other people, especially those he was close to but refused to call them his friends. One of them especially being Bastion who Chazz was always aware was in the room, and would notice the genius' dark circles or lack of weight, which he would scold the aspired scientist for neglecting himself. The other was surprisingly Syrus. Chazz did bully him, but the ravenet always kept a close eye on the small Slifer whenever he caught him walking alone like a helpless little duckling looking for his mother/Jaden. They had to pause their date because Chazz wanted to make sure he was okay. Chazz also secretly had paintings that he paid Chumley to make. Atticus discovered that on accident when he was taking a peak at the art gallery that the former obelisk was forced to shack beside the Slifer dorm. He asked the painter about this, and he whispered that it was true, but he really didn't do it for the money. Chazz could be mean, but rich kids knew their art, and it made Chumley strangely happy to be noticed. Chazz would try to avoid Jaden like the plague, but Atticus would catch him talking to Winged Kuriboh, who he caught Jaden talking to sometimes, with an affectionate tone. Chazz did sometimes sound harsh to his supposed duel spirits, but he was proud of them in his own way.

Chazz was shy about his kindness, but not in front of Atticus, which made him feel special. Atticus could talk to Chazz about his problems, be comforted, and have fun with him. Alexis was truly missing out because there was never a dull moment with the odd duelist around who was cute even when he was mad. Zane seemed to notice that he got a little too involved with Chazz, but his warning already came too late.

He fell for Chazz, but he thought it was best to hide these feelings. Yet, that thought became hard to follow when he saw Chazz dance. Atticus watched plenty of talented dancers in his life from going to broadway shows and dance competitions, but no one he had watched as of yet could compare to this ballerina. The way she moved elevated the presence of the room. She made the floor look like it was a canvas. The mirrors were the special effects to enhance the meaning behind the actions. The average light of the room suddenly gave off the feel that the heavens were shining upon a fairy tale or a tragedy. There was always a story told in each and every land on those toes that strained to carry the unspoken literature. Bastion would come in just to provide himself as Chazz's partner, and Atticus could see how far the male dancer had come to carry the talent that Chazz possessed in every inch of his body. The red-eyed dragon duelist became envious of Bastion, that he wanted to join the club, but he would have to wait until next year.

Chazz did teach him, which revealed the teen's strict side since dancing was a serious art form. The ballerina called it a hobby, but to Atticus, it felt more like it was an integrated part of life that made Chazz whole. The teen would be something without it, but he wouldn't be complete.

They danced and danced, and Atticus couldn't deny it anymore the moment he lifted Chazz into the air, and he saw a face that he swore he saw before back at the nurse's office. He just had to claim this beauty that captured his heart, and filled his world with colors, even in the shadows. He had fallen hard in love with Chazz.

And Chazz was completely oblivious.

._._._.

"NOOOOO!" The girls cried out in their obelisk dorm. "It can't be true! It can't!"

It was the middle of the afternoon, and Alexis was disturbed by the sudden cries of despair around her. "Whoa. What is going on?"

"Alexis!" Jasmine ran up to her and held onto her shoulders for dear life. Her and every girl behind her were in tears. "Tell me it isn't true!"

"Uh, what isn't true?"

"Your brother! Atticus!"

The little sister's heart ceased up. "What?! Did something happen to Atticus!"

"Yes! He's...He's..." Jasmine made a dramatic pause that made Alexis go pale until her best friend blurted, "HE'S IN LOVE!"

"...What?"

Mindy explained, "It's true! We went to see Atticus at the beach like usual, and he didn't flirt with us or anything!"

Jasmine continued, "Instead he just said hi, and told us that it was a wonderful day to be in love!"

"Uhm...that sounds normal."

"We didn't finish!" Both her friends shouted. "He said that he believed that he found HIS SPECIAL ONE! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Alexis wanted to run away, but she felt obligated to comfort them, "Calm down! From what I can see, every girl is here in this dorm, and all of you are crying, and he hasn't been contacting any of his past fans as far as I'm aware."

"But he could be!" One of them cried out.

"Since you're his sister, you have to ask him who she is!" Another declared

Alexis wasn't sure if she should because she knew how vicious these girls could be, but she was curious, too.

._._._.

Chazz and Atticus were walking together to classes. The older obelisk told the younger darkly dressed Slifer that taking morning walks together was nice. Chazz didn't see any reason to reject, so allowed this.

He complained, "Ugh! Crowler is giving us way too much homework, and it's almost the last month of the year! It's probably because of that Chumley guy. Who knew that guy would be lucky enough to land a job at Industrial Illusions, and that got Crowler trying to make sure another guy like him doesn't come around. His only good points was only in his drawings."

"Oh, so you do acknowledge his artistic skills! Nice of you to finally admit that!" Atticus teased him.

"Please! I know plenty of talented painters. I have my own personal art gallery back at home, and I did here, too, but sadly they all had to be shacked until I can get back to Obelisk. I'm working my butt off! I did not spend five years in Duel Prep School to be sent to the roach-infested tool shed!"

"It's not that bad, but I'm sure you'll reach the Obelisk dorm in no time, Chazzy!" The taller brunet put his hand on the shorter ravenet's shoulder. "I'd like it if you came back. That way we can see each other more, and I could give you even more love tips."

"You still have more? I think you've taught me so much, that I think I learned enough to get through three dates without fail! But even if you have nothing to teach me, Atticus, I'd still want to hang out with you. You can be annoying sometimes with your gimmicks," He gave a light glare to the last gimmick of pretending to be a shark at the beach when he was supposed to teach Chazz how to surf. Atticus couldn't help himself! Seeing Chazz's scared and angry expressions were undeniably cute and funny. The paler teen put the glare away to continue, "But listening to you talk about love, and you going out of your way to spend time with me has been one of the best days of my life here in Duel Academy. If I ever marry Alexis, I'm glad to know that you'll be my brother-in-law."

Atticus knew Chazz was still hung up on his little sister, but he believed he could divert this cute teen's attention. He paused their walking to begin his confession. He knew that he would usually do something over the top to make his ultimate love confession, but he couldn't decide on what to do that was the best for Chazz, so he concluded that the best course of action was to just do it the simple old fashion way, and just pour all of his feelings out.

He started, "That's nice to know, Chazz. I also have a lot of fun with you. You're an amazing guy, and my sister would be lucky to have you as her boyfriend, if only she knew the best parts of you like how much you truly do care about your friends."

"Have you been sniffing something? What friends?" Chazz half-joked.

Atticus stifled a laugh to continue on seriously, "That's besides the point. What I really wanted to say is," He grabbed both of Chazz's hands in his and raised them to his chest. The clueless grey-eyed hermaphrodite looked up into the Casanova' chestnut brown eyes that had a very weird and out of place adoring look in them. Chazz figured that Atticus was just deepening their future brotherly relationship, and the people where Atticus lived at gave those weird affectionate stares. He was rather really close to Alexis. "Chazz, we've only known each other recently this school year, but I feel like we've created a bond stronger and more personal than mere friendship."

Chazz gasped. So they were deepening their friendship into brotherhood! He cried out in agreement, "You knew it too! I have always known since I felt our relationship deepen more and more since I met you!"

Atticus was relieved to know that Chazz was in love with him, too! "Oh Chazz, I'm so glad you feel the same way!" He went in for the kiss!

"Hey Atticus! Chazz! Heading to class?!" Jaden called out with his blue haired keeper right beside him.

Atticus stopped himself, dropped their hands down, but still held them. The slifers stared at this. Syrus gasped dramatically while Jaden remembered this happening with Bastion once.

"Uhm? Atticus massaging your hands, Chazz?" He asked, sounding stupid.

"No! And it's none of your business, so beat it slackers!" The ravenet snapped at them. Now that they were here, the brotherly moment was all ruined! "Come on, Atticus." He walked away.

Atticus gave a friendly wave before quickly following with a strange happy look on his face.

"Okay...that was weird." Jaden commented.

"Yeah, you said it. But those two have been spending a lot of time together since Chazz failed miserably in asking Alexis out. You don't think they're dating do you? There's been rumors that Atticus has been rejecting dates with other girls, recently, and it caused a ruckus back at the female obelisk dorm last night."

"What? Atticus and Chazz dating? No way that can happen!" Jaden found that incredulous!

Syrus rose an eyebrow at that weird response. "Why do you sound so sure about that? I mean we live in a day and age where two guys can date each other. My cousin is in a relationship with one, and they're pretty happy."

"But isn't Chazz in love with Alexis, and he's just using Atticus to win a date with her?" The unromantic teen wasn't one to talk about dating, but when it concerned Chazz, he couldn't help getting involved.

Syrus thought about it. "True. Chazz still goes gaga for Alexis, but who knows. It's possible that people's hearts change, and Chazz fell for Atticus. He is handsome, or so I've heard, and charismatic, a strong duelist, and is into romance, so why not?"

"Like I said, that's not possible, Sy." Jaden stuck with his belief. "I don't know why Chazz fell for Alexis, but I know in my gut that he won't fall for someone like Atticus. Chazz is already a charismatic, strong duelist."

"Doesn't that just mean they're more fit for each other?"

"Really?" Jaden's brows furrowed up in concern.

His blue haired keeper was taken aback by the expression, "Why are you upset by that?! Don't tell me that you fell in love with Chazz?!"

"Of course not, but seriously, Sy, Chazz and Atticus? No way! We're in Duel Academy! We came here to duel, not date!"

Syrus couldn't help doubting Jaden's answer. It was weird of his big bro to be upset at _anything_ that involved romance, and he even seemed _upset_ at the idea of Chazz _actually_ belonging to someone. "But what if they were dating?" He questioned curiously.

"If they were?...Then I guess I'd be really surprised, but I supposed I should wish them luck or something. As long as their happy right...Right?" Jaden felt something twist and turn in his chest at the idea of Chazz belonging to Atticus. He didn't mind Chazz falling for Alexis because that was obviously never going to happen, but Atticus was different from her, which meant it could happen. He didn't understand why that bothered him so much.

His eyes glowed yellow for a second, and Vivian who had been watching them saw Jaden's shadow detached itself and went the opposite direction that Chazz went. She ignored that for now to get to Chazz. If it came for him, she'll be ready.

Syrus didn't notice the lack of Jaden's shadow because he swore he saw something weird happen in his eyes instead. But he guessed it must've been the lighting. "Uh, right." He checked his watch. "Oh no! We're going to be late!"

The two quickly ran off.

._._._.

School was about to end, so Chazz had free class time. He decided to spend some of it by checking on Bastion at his dorm where the scientist had plenty of free time after passing the recommended quizzes before graduation. They talked for a bit before using the time to relieve their hormones. Later, Bastion walked him out of his dorm, and since it was still in the middle of classes for everyone else, the two kissed each other before departing. Unknown to them, Atticus witnessed their passionate embrace in public. The older teen went looking for Chazz because he knew that he had free time, and the students he asked led him to the Ra dorm.

Atticus was paralyzed at the sight of the person he thought he knew so well kiss Bastion like they were lovers. He couldn't comprehend what he witnessed. Didn't they confess to each other this morning? Was there a miscommunication? But why didn't Atticus know about Chazz going out with Bastion? Was it a secret? Was Chazz embarrassed to have a male lover? Then why did he fall for Alexis? Why go through the trouble? Why? Was his love and motives sincere or not?

Who was Chazz truly?

The confused love expert left the scene to go find answers among the students. He started out subtle such as did Chazz have past relationships in the school? Many of them answered that they didn't know. Others seemed to have flinched at the question, and either ran away from answering or lied.

Eventually one of them was able to tell him that Chazz slept with different people around the school. Be it Obelisk, Ra, or Slifer. It wasn't a famous rumor since Chazz wasn't as big as a deal as Zane, and sleeping around was normal in Duel Academy. Atticus did it himself, and wouldn't brag about it, so he couldn't judge Chazz on that. But then his brain reminded him that Chazz was pretty good at acting, and he met guys similar to Chazz who would use him to get close to Alexis or other girls he knew. They would act all sweet and earnest, but all they really wanted was a one-night stand.

He only met Chazz for two months, and Alexis warned him about Chazz's bad attitude, and the former obelisk's bad reputation of bullying the weak, and how he went as far as to cheat by throwing people's cards in the water, so he could remain an Obelisk! Chazz even showed to not care about what he did when questioned. Atticus knew the cross dresser had a good side to himself, but that didn't make up for his bad side.

He couldn't believe how blind he was! Everything that happened over the last two months could've been all a lie, and if that was true...he didn't want to believe it. He fell in love with Chazz, but if it turned out that the Chazz he fell in love with was a fake, he didn't know if he could take it. He's already been used by Nightshroud without his permission! This may be minor in comparison, but it still pissed him off!

The best choice was to just break everything off because he did not want to make his life more complicated than it already was from his traumatic experience! He gone off to search for Chazz, and encountered the cross dresser on a forest path to the gym.

"Atticus? What are you doing here? We don't have a date until tomorrow." She pointed out, but then, he became aware the older teen's blackened features. "Is something wrong?"

"Is it true? Is it true that you've been sleeping around in the academy?" He questioned with a steady, ominous voice.

Chazz's eyes widened in horror, but he supposed it was bound to reach someone like Atticus, too. He quickly tried to make this right, "Wait! Just so you know, I am serious about your sister!"

That statement only angered Atticus more. Then what about his feelings?! What about the time they spent together?! Was it really all just pretend?! Is he pretending right now?!

"How can I trust you?!" The obelisk yelled at him with an accusing tone. "This whole entire time acting like the clueless virgin you were! You obviously have a ton of experience in getting anyone in bed like Bastion! Why would you need my help?!"

"I-it's not like that!" Chazz felt his body tremble from Atticus' raised voice. He was terrifying in his rage. "Those were just one-night stands!"

"Oh, so you don't even love the people you sleep with! That's all I needed! I heard enough!"

"Wait! Please, Atticus, I can do better!"

 _Song: Broken Inside - Broken Iris_

"If you were really trying to do better, you would've done it from the start." Atticus didn't raise his voice this time, but his calm tone only sliced through the air like a blizzard and cut through Chazz. The hurt duelist recognized Atticus as a dear friend who he was bound to tell the truths on purpose to. He was about to tell him, but the person he considered close like a brother said, "Alexis warned me about you, and she was right. It's true after all that _**you don't know how to love**_ , and even after everything I taught you, I guess _**some people can never learn**_. There's no way I can ever hand over my sister to someone so fake and _**impure** _ like you."

 _ **CRACK!**_

Atticus knew that he was just lashing his anger out on Chazz, and that he was in the wrong since he didn't hear his side, but he couldn't calm down, so he quickly walked away, and silently promised to apologize later.

Unknown to him, Chazz was triggered by his words.

"Im...pure?"

 _ **CRACK! CRACK!**_

Vivian did not expect this to happen. This wasn't an act of self-harm, but it triggered for it to take action. She quickly approached him, but he ran away with feet so quick as if he was about to turn to lightning. She followed him to the gym, where he went into the dance studio by blasting the door off by just touching the handle.

Vivian used her powers to make no one nearby believe they heard that noise. She called out to the self-destructing teen, "Chazz, listen to me! You're in Domino City! You're in your mansion! And you're with your brothers! Think happy thoughts!" Her eyes glowed pink. Chazz's eyes glowed pink, too, but it was quickly overcame by the silver of his eyes, which mentally deflected her powers.

The disturbed ballerina walked into the room with her eyes concentrated on the floor. She came to dance. She came here to dance and what she was told wouldn't affect her! It won't affect her!

 ** _CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_**

What happened earlier did not happen! Atticus was just...Atticus was just...Atticus was just...Atticus was just...Atticus was just...

 ** _Crack...crack..._**

The room around her began to shift in front of her eyes. She began seeing white, white walls. Her senses heightened to the silence around her. What she sensed was nothing. There was nothing. There was no sound. No heat or cold. No corners to feel to check if he was numbed. She saw no one. Only white.

Only white.

"It's such a pure room isn't it." It told her. "So fitting for an impure person such as yourself who clung to the dirt of this world filled with mistakes. If you just start over, you'd be pure and loved the way you deserved. The way I'm treating you now. Who could ever love such an impure person like yourself _**but me.**_ "

"NO!" Chazz dropped to his knees with her hands on her head as if a bomb was going to explode on her any moment. From the corner of her eye, he noticed someone glowing in the mirror. Slowly he turned her head to...it.

A genderless body like a child doll that glowed white.

Multiple grey eyes staring back at him/her.

Platinum blond hair that's been brushed to look glossy.

And no mouth to speak.

 _ **"Love me."**_

 _ **"SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"**_

Everyone throughout Duel Academy and Domino City heard heard that banshee scream that made the sky ripple. Lightning burst out of Chazz's body as she tried to scrape away the eyes, unknowingly just carving out his skin with his bloodied nails. "Mom!" Crimson, Seto and Joey appeared and tried to control the situation, but they stepped back when Chazz's eyes exploded. His blood spraying the floor and walls.

The Light appeared, and thought she could just contain the power, but then to her surprise, the lightning coursed through her human body, paralyzing her. "Oh dear. This isn't the same light as before."

"What do you mean?!" Seto with Crimson and Joey formed a shield around Chazz so nothing else would be destroyed and attract attention. Vivian was using her powers to keep those nearby away and unaware.

Noe telepathically communicated with them. _"We have a problem over here. The glass piece that represented Chazz's love for himself crushed itself to dust, and his other glass pieces are shooting lightning bolts all over the safe."_

The Light explained, _"Her emotions are hitting max, which makes her light as toxic as mine. Since I'm weaker in this body, hers overpower mine. You guys better figure out a way to lower her toxicity before she explodes, and destroys this dimension."_

 _"It's best to transport her, then."_ Joey planned.

 _"Wait! I feel him coming!"_ Crimson told them.

Everyone except the Light were confused until a gust of darkness blew past them, and seeped into the shield like a liquid that flooded the space.

"Okay...What just happened?" Joey asked, scratching his head.

"It's my dad." Crimson told them.

The Light corrected, "His reincarnated power that is. The real body is with his head down in class. It looks like whenever it senses Chazz in despair, it comes rushing in as her hero."

"Oh. Is it happening now because him and Chazz are close to each other?" The blond inquired.

"Not at all. If it was, then we would've reunited Chazz and Jaden earlier." She gave the true answer, "The little prince's power is maturing, and with these shadow games going on, it's quickening its awareness."

"Awareness?"

Kaiba knew what she was talking about, "Judai is awakening inside him. It's similar to what happened with Chazz. Her powers matured fast at a young age because of the war with Zorc, and her emotions were well maintained with the Light and Darkness Dragon at her side to make sure of that. That led way for Chazz's reincarnation to become self aware of their own existence inside her, and thus, project themselves as spirits."

"Since Chazz and that Jaden kid have their own special reincarnations, I guess it makes sense." Joey could connect the dots. "So are we just going to leave them in there like that?"

Crimson replied, "It's for the best. My dad may be able to calm Chazz down."

Kaiba sneered at such an idea. "You do have the same enhanced senses like I do, don't you Crimson? You should be able to sense the lack of brain waves in this shadow."

The proud daughter kindly retorted, "But there are brain waves, and this is more of an emotional problem. Something you and aunt Noe aren't geniuses at."

Joey hollered, "OOOOh! She put you in your place. Ow! Why did you pinch me!" The half-dragon rubbed his sore butt cheek.

"Because it's the only thing I can do that isn't classified as spousal abuse." The other half-dragon responded coolly. Joey stuck his tongue out at him.

Vivian dusted her clothes, walking away as she did. Crimson approached her and healed her up, and fixed her outfit. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Payback." That was all she said before leaving for the male obelisk dorm, and finding Zane talking to Alexis. After the girl left, she walked up to him.

"Vivian?" The taller student was surprised to see her, and he could see the rage hidden behind her brandy eyes. That could only mean one thing. "Did something happen to Chazz? Did Atticus do something?"

Her lips remained straight, but in her mind, she was smiling like the Grinch. "He did."

._._._.

"Where am I?" Chazz hugged his knees with eyelids too heavy to raise. "It feels...like I'm floating."

 _"It's true after all that **you don't know how to love** , and even after everything I taught you, I guess **some people can never learn**. There's no way I can ever hand over my sister to someone so fake and **impure** like you."_

"I'm trying. I really am."

 _"It's true after all that **you don't know how to love** , and even after everything I taught you, I guess **some people can never learn**. There's no way I can ever hand over my sister to someone so fake and **impure** like you."_

"I want to learn. I really do."

 _"It's true after all that **you don't know how to love** , and even after everything I taught you, I guess **some people can never learn**. There's no way I can ever hand over my sister to someone so fake and **impure** like you."_

"I'm sorry for everything that's wrong with me. Please don't give up on me. Please...Please don't leave me with that man."

 _"It's such a pure room isn't it. So fitting for an impure person such as yourself who clung to the dirt of this world filled with mistakes. If you just start over, you'd be pure and loved the way you deserved. The way I'm treating you now. Who could ever love such an impure person like yourself **but me.** "_

"That isn't love...or is it? What do I know? Was I really in love? Do I really love anyone? Or am I just using them for my own gain, and the moment they need me most, I'm useless because I don't know how to love. I can't learn. I'm broken that way."

 _"Bastion! How many times do I have to tell you to feed yourself!"_

 _"I know, I just -URGH!"_

 _"I warned you that I would shove this sub down your throat! Your mom is not around to watch over you, so you better at least put on a ringer in your phone or computer to remind you to feed yourself dammit!"_

"Bastion...I hope he's eating well. Whenever he becomes passionate over something, that idiot forgets everything else."

 _"Come on, Syrus! You just have to kick your legs! I did not book Duel Academy's pool just for you to drown! Though I might as well have! Maybe I should call Jaden because I sure as hell won't save you!"_

 _"Don't you dare! It's embarrassing enough that I'm asking you for help! I'm trying my best here, okay!"_

 _"Oh please! I've seen you try doing your best, and you're not doing it now! You're overthinking everything! Siggghhhh. Why are you anyway? It's not like you're dueling."_

 _"I can't help it okay! My parents were never a fan of the beach and they were afraid that I would get an ear infection at the pools, so I never got the chance to learn how to swim. And learning now feels embarrassing. I mean even babies can swim."_

 _"No they can't. Babies just know that they should close their eyes and hold their breath underwater. But that's besides the point. Look here twerp and take it from the Chazz. You're already an embarrassment so get over it, and stop with the negative thoughts. Just repeat in your head and shout that you can do this! And if your mind strays away, then kick it to the curb, and stay focus, now get back to kicking!"_

 _"Wha-"_

 _"I SAID GET BACK TO KICKING!"_

 _"OKAY! GEEZE!"_

 _"NOW SAY THAT YOU CAN DO IT!"_

 _"I-I can do it!"_

 _"LOUDER!"_

 _"I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT! I...I can-"_

 _"I'M GOING TO DROWN YOU SYRUS! AND YOU KNOW I WILL!"_

 _"AH! I CAN DO IT I CAN DO IT!"_

 _"YOU CAN DO WHAT?!"_

 _"I CAN SWIM! I CAN SWIM!"_

 _"GOOD! AFTER YOU GET SOME MUSCLES IN THOSE LEGS, WE OUT OF THIS KIDDY POOL AND INTO THE SLIGHTLY LARGER ONE TO WORK ON YOUR ARMS! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!"_

 _"YES SIR YES!"_

"Syrus, that twerp, I hope he isn't slacking on learning how to swim. I did not waste hours trying to teach him! I only did it because he was pitiful...I hope he's okay."

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"Hey! That's private!"_

 _"You drew this?"_

 _"Uh, yeah, so?"_

 _"Make me one."_

 _"What?"_

 _"I'll pay you this much, and buy you all the paint and stuff you need. But you better keep it a secret! It'll be embarrassing for the Chazz to be known for hanging out with the likes of you. So will you?"_

 _"Uhm...Will you pay me in grill cheeses?"_

 _"Sure. I'll even have different kinds exported just for you as long as you don't half-ass your job!"_

 _"You got a deal!"_

"That Chumley guy was such a pitiful case...but his art was beautiful. I'm glad he got that Industrial Illusions job. That leaves one less slacker in Duel Academy, but he did paint what I wanted really well, and kept it a secret. I guess he really wasn't that much of a slacker."

 _"Come on and dance with me, Zane!"_

 _"I rather not."_

 _"Too bad! I'm going to make you! WhOA! Ugh!"_

 _"Pfft! Hahahahahaha!"_

 _"Hey! Stop laughing! The Chazz meant to trip like that!"_

 _"That's *snort* That's one graceful trip you made there. I didn't know you were also into comedic acts."_

 _"I'm going to show you a comedic act! Wait! WhOA! Dammit! Why are the floors so slippery!"_

 _"Isn't that a wet sign."_

 _"..."_

 _"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

 _"Stop laughing! You're supposed to be the cool mysterious guy which is code for dry humor and no personality!"_

 _"I-it's your face. You just make the funniest faces."_

 _"Shu-Shut up!"_

"That stupid Zane! Laughing at me! Dammit! It pisses me off that he only laughs like that when I make a fool of myself! He's a sadistic bastard! I only hang out with him because he comes to me! But I wished we at least danced once."

 _"Let's duel, Chazz!"_

"NO! NO! I will not remember that guy! Screw you, Jaden!

 _"Oh come on! Don't be like that!"_

"Isn't there anyone else to remember like Alexis...Atticus..."

 _"It's true after all that **you don't know how to love** , and even after everything I taught you, I guess **some people can never learn**. There's no way I can ever hand over my sister to someone so fake and **impure** like you."_

 _"It's such a pure room isn't it. So fitting for an impure person such as yourself who clung to the dirt of this world filled with mistakes. If you just start over, you'd be pure and loved the way you deserved. The way I'm treating you now. Who could ever love such an impure person like yourself **but me.** "_

 _"Stop speaking jibberish." Seto Kaiba spoke._

Chazz was surprised. He didn't remember Mr. Kaiba being there, and other voices began to pop up.

 _"Yeah, what you're sayin' is just an opinion. A stupid one at that. Chazz has ton of love! It's not perfect, but hey, someone doesn't get good at somethin' without a few bumps in the road." Joey said._

 _"That's right. Besides, this world has problems, but it's because of those problems that people are alert." Yugi added._

 _"You belong with us, Chazz, because you chose to." Tea reminded him. "And you made the love, the friendships, and the differences with everyone."_

 _"The mistakes you made, that makes you no different from the rest of us." Noe told him._

 _"So we're all flawed. We do get angry, but we also get calm. We can be afraid, but we can also be brave. For nearly all the good we feel from doing the good we do against the bad, it reminds us of what's worthy." Mokuba concluded._

 _His brothers called out to him, "So wake up, and see a messy world of color."_

Chazz opened his eyes, and all around him were fogs of colors in the darkness with stars twinkling all around him.

 _Song: Lullaby for a Stormy Night - Vienna Teng_

The shadow once again appears and holds out its hand to her. Chazz reached for it, but then he saw her glowing white skin. She backed away in fear of contaminating the shadow, but then it grabbed her hand to place it on its cheek, nuzzling it to show that it was in no harm. It let go of her hand, and held out its hand again.

Chazz still felt disgusted with herself, but she didn't want to be rude, so he slowly placed her hand on its own.

 _"You know...the darkness isn't such a bad place."_

The two danced like they had before in the nurse's office. Their movements were unplanned, but fell in sync with each other as if they had danced more than one dance before. As if they had danced a timeless amount of dances, and the pain, exhaustion and knowledge that passed through those moments of art and intimacy had sunk permanently deep into every inch of their existence.

 _"There is a bad side to darkness like how it hides the bad people and gives anxiety over the oblivion, but there's also a good side. A gentle side to it like this night sky. Even if the moon or stars were gone, I'd still look up and gaze at the night sky, and it'd calm me down, and I don't feel alone."_

The colors all around them shifted and brightened or darkened with each of their movements. Chazz hadn't realized when the pigments became paint that came to life and began engulfing his form from her feet upward until she was an array of colors. Her hair transformed back to a raven black mohawk, and eyes minimized to only two. He became back to normal in the now blackened world filled with stars.

 _"It's like closing my eyes and knowing that the blackness that I see will only be filled with dreams and happy memories. And if not, then I'm in a world of floating tranquility as if I'm either meditating or sleeping. There will be nightmares and bad thoughts, but the darkness is not only filled with that."_

The stars around them gravitated to the gap between them, accumulating themselves into a single shining piece of glass. The shadow cupped this floating material in its hands, and presented it to Chazz who was clueless of what it was, but the glass emitted a pleasant, inviting glow. He took the piece in his hands and slowly inserted it into her chest.

Chazz gave a ragged gasped at its alien heat that settled itself comfortably in her chest.

 _"There's love."_

Mirrors appeared around them, and the thing with whiting glowing skin, multiple eyes, and glossy hair was in each one of them with a white, white background.

Again, a voice said, _"It's such a pure room isn't it. So fitting for an impure person such as yourself who clung to the dirt of this world filled with mistakes. If you just start over, you'd be pure and loved the way you deserved. The way I'm treating you now. Who could ever love such an impure person like yourself **but me.** "_

The child's eyes made no expression as it had its fingers tore a hole to give itself a mouth, and said, "If purity means a weakened spirit submitting to you, I'll gladly be impure. I hope I'll never submit to you, but even if I do, the people I love, impure as they may be to you, will bring me home."

The world began to quake to the point that all the mirrors were shattering, but the child within those mirrors didn't flinch. Her silver eyes shone brilliantly with a ferocious courage that could not be torn down from abuse nor brittle from neglect.

Those eye reflected in Chazz's identical silver ones. "That was...was that me?"

The shadow didn't answer, yet the truth was obvious. Chazz was still uncomfortable with what he was and with the little memories pouring inside him, but she also had a feeling that he was going to be okay. Not great, but okay enough to live through another day since her life did matter. Even if it was a little because a little love for herself can go a long way. The light inside her was proof of that.

He looked to the shadow with no eyes, but he could tell that it cared for her. "Thank you." He wanted to kiss the shadow, but she kept her distance. He still felt Atticus' words sting her self-confidence.

But then the shadow suddenly spoke with a strong, masculine voice that sounded familiar, "You did not bow to a monstrous force that tried to deem your worth! Don't let one fool's eyes determine the cleanliness of your body!"

Chazz didn't take kindly to the tone, and answered back with a strong voice of his own, "That's because the enemy's opinion doesn't matter, but Atticus is my friend, and an expert in love. If he says that I'm incapable of love, the who am I, a person who forgot the people she loved, forced the the ones she didn't to hate her, to have any rejections against it!"

"If he was such an expert of love, then why did he struck you down with hateful words when you haven't even harmed a soul because your intentions were pure? Did not the man with blue eyes tell you that he had done the same, and yet he loved again."

 _"Chazz...I know what it's like to lose the sense of the child you once were...and forget what it was like to love those dearest to you, but for me, thanks to Mokuba, Joey, and the others, including yourself, I remembered. And now, you're doing the same. I'm so proud of you."_

"He was lost, but he found his way again by the people who loved him, by the people who knew how to love. Atticus did not do the same for you. He made you feel ashamed. Tore you down and abandoned you without a care of how scathing his words were. What expert of love and especially your friend do something so hateful?"

The teenager did not want to think badly of Atticus. She was the one who hadn't been completely honest with him, and Atticus was protecting his sister from a guy like him. But didn't that mean they weren't friends anymore at the start of that hateful confrontation. He saw Chazz as the enemy and struck him down. Realizing the loss of their friendship hurt him, but gave her reason not to listen to his words.

Chazz tried to, but he still saw Atticus as her friend, so the words still stung, and that upset her. He gave a brief, scorned laugh, and directed his mood at the shadow, "Heh. Been to the drama club much." Those words struck Chazz more because he was doing exactly what Atticus did.

The shadow ignored his jest as it approach her. "What you do with your lips and your legs and your hands shouldn't be a shameful thing when you touch another body." Chazz was twirled, lifted to have her legs wrapped around the shadows' waist, and then she suddenly found himself laid against a surface. It then don on him that she was naked. The dark figure hovered over her, and continued, "Not when you provide the consensual pleasure of making them feel desirable, and you feel the same in return. Perhaps there is no love mixed in this carnal ritual," Chazz shivered pleasurably at the feel of the shadow's hands running across his pale legs. "But virgin love is overrated, since even non-virgins can achieve love, and the sex is just as good, if not better. I have no desire to have sex, but I do desire to make you feel pleasured," The shadow formed lips that kissed Chazz's stomach. "Feel beautiful," Kiss. "Sexy." Kiss. "Confident." Suck. "Stress-free." Bite. "And I see nothing impure about making other people happy." It raised Chazz's leg and licked from the base of her upper thigh up to her ankle. It hovered over him again. "But when I win your heart, I expect you to be only mine. I don't care about who you touch in between the gap that we're apart. It's your heart that I hold the highest, so promise me, Chazz. Promise me that you'll wait for me to earn your love."

Chazz felt his cheeks turn pink at how earnest his words sounded. He spoke as if her heart was a rare, priceless award that deserved to be cherished for all the days to come. And whatever the state of his body will be will still be loved because it didn't determine his entire existence.

"...We'll see." Chazz proudly replied. This shadow had been very very kind to him, but it was still a stranger. Can't be that easy with his heart.

The shadow chuckle in a way that sounded ominously familiar...

"I hope we will. For now...let's enjoy ourselves."

 _Song: I Don't Mind - Usher ft. Juicy J_

._._._.

Atticus was standing next to the light house to calm himself. If it worked for Zane, it could work for him. He felt ashamed for how he treated Chazz, but his anger had yet to subside. It didn't help when Zane went up to him and punched him without a word exchanged. The two fought and students were just pouring out of their classes. They caught them, and it took a group of teachers to split them apart. Zane was led to his room where he would be treated while Atticus went to the nurse's office. It was best that they stayed apart from each other.

"What?! My brother and Atticus got into a fight?!" Syrus was shocked and full blown curious of how that could happen. He and Jaden were at detention while this happened. Bastion delivered the news. Alexis was busy being by her brother's side with half of the entire female student body and staff included being there, too.

"Fight? You mean a duel right?" Jaden asked.

Bastion shook his head. "I'm afraid not. They each gave each other a good going over before students found them. No one knows why they started fighting in the first place."

Syrus was predictably concerned, "Please tell me this won't affect Zane's graduation. He's graduating this month! And everyone knows that he's the one who'll be part of the Graduation Duel!"

"Don't worry. Crowler informed me that this will only be seen as more of an argument than a fight. This school can't risk having their star pupil be smeared by this, so he's demanding that everyone be quiet about this. Obviously, not everyone will be quiet about this, but if he has the majority's lips shut, then we're good."

"Wow," Jaden was honestly surprised. "I wonder what could've happened between those two. They're best friends, right?"

Syrus sadly answered, "Yeah, they are. They've been friends since they entered Duel Academy, and this is the first time they ever fought over anything. I wonder what could've made them do this."

Bastion had a good idea.

Back at the dance studio that had been repaired by Crimson, Joey and Kaiba, Chazz was still within the orb of shadows. Three hours passed before the shadow dissipated and went back to its owner. Chazz was on the floor sleeping on the floor naked. Crimson dressed him in clothes just as the duelist was waking up. His eyes fluttering open to see a young woman with light brown skin, golden eyes, and fiery crimson hair shaped similar to his. "You...You look familiar." He held the stranger's cheek, and it probed strange motherly feelings out of her.

Crimson warmly smiled down at her mother. "You can take your time." She kissed her mother's forehead before handing her over to Kaiba. "I'll leave it to you now." She didn't want Chazz to remember her yet because that could lead to remembering Jun and the others, which he wasn't ready for. Her and the Light disappeared before the reawakening speck of light could fully grasp where he was.

"Mi..Mr. Kaiba? You came to save me?" Chazz was fully aware that she went out of control, and felt awful for giving in so easily. "I'm sorry for overreacting."

"Don't be. It's completely natural that you have these overreactions, but we weren't sure to how far it would go." Kaiba told him as a matter-of-fact. "I can sense a glass piece inside you."

"Glass piece? So there's no special name for this thing inside me? Figures. But I...I do remember something. I remember that my kidnapping wasn't so simple. The kidnapper was a...thing and there was a war. I can't see it clearly, but I'm sure that's true."

"Don't." The caring CEO softly urged her. "It's still too early. Don't concentrate on your kidnapping. More than anything, don't think about it until we reform our love completely."

That made Chazz more curious, but she was also frightened because people die during war, and he didn't want to grieve just yet. Not after how poorly he handled himself during a trigger. "I understand. I promise to not think about it, but can you do something for me. I...I don't want to trigger like that again." Chazz was fully aware of the destruction he was making earlier but he just didn't...care. Now in the aftermath, she felt great shame for her lack of kindness in such a situation she created.

"I understand. Joey." Kaiba set him down on his legs. He looked to his husband who nodded. The two transported themselves into a spacious ballroom for the ritual they were about to do. Chazz dressed himself in his dark ballerina uniform as the two dressed in their own. Seto Kaiba's own being a mixture of blue and white, and Joey's being a mixture of red and black. The half dragons made only the glowing glass pieces appear before the two danced with her.

They made her remember the feeling of happiness which allowed the shard of joy enter her chest. They next made him feel the emotion of calmness, and then made him feel the emotion of love that he had for others. Chazz hesitated to take those split shards, but the shard of self-love gave him the rational to take it, so both shards could glow immensely side by side like they were supposed to. The teen raggedly gasped before taking in a deep breath as the hotness in his chest increased before settling down into a searing warmth that heightened his senses, and strengthen yet ease his breathing.

The two half dragons then placed their hands over his chest, and created a magical orb that caged Chazz's power and the glass pieces from overflowing again.

Chazz laid herself on the ground to fall asleep, so her body could be readjusted to the new changes. The two men laid her on her bed to sleep.

._._._.

 _Song: Here Comes a Thought - Estelle & AJ Michalka from Steven Universe_

The next day, Vivian kept Chazz away from the news of the fight between Zane and Atticus. Things were still too heated, so it was a good thing that Chazz already made plans to visit North Academy to have a duel with the top fifty, and then say goodbye to the graduates. It was a much needed heart-warming and fun vacation for the Ojama duelist who just needed to enjoy his positive feelings of happiness, calmness, and love. They could all see how much he emotionally improved since he was able to be open up about his hermaphroditism, and his bigender identification. Chazz proudly danced for them as a female ballerina, which left them all in tears, and even more tears when she had to leave.

On their way back, Vivian let him know about the fight. He was shocked, and glared at her, knowing she had something to do with it, but he couldn't be angry at her for wanting payback without getting too involved. The brandy-eyed watcher knew she stepped out of line for doing this without his permission, but they both believed that this fight would've happened anyway since both didn't expect Zane to confront Atticus so violently. Vivian was honestly just expecting Zane to give Atticus a duel beat down and a stern talking to.

When they arrived, Vivian helped Chazz sneak into Zane's room through his balcony. The older blue-haired teen still sported some bandages and cold packs for bruises.

"Wow, he did a number on you." The rich duelist made his presence known.

"Chazz!" Zane was caught off guard by his sudden appearance since he was sitting on his bed, deep in thought. His shock wore down to a calmness that was covered in shame and a bit of anger still aimed at Atticus. "Vivian told you didn't she."

"Yeah, but she wouldn't have to. Everyone is whispering about it. What in the world were you thinking getting into a fight with Atticus over me?" Chazz pulled a chair to sit at the bedside, with a scolding dagger aimed at him. "Your record is spotless, and you were about to mess it up over something so stupid."

"Don't do that." The bandaged man said calmly, but it sounded like it was intended to be a snap. His eyes were scorching at the downplay of what happened. "Vivian told me of what Atticus told you. To say something so disrespectful to you when he had no right," He growled. His hands clenched his blankets so tightly that his trembling knuckles began to whiten. "It infuriates me that I was ever friends with him!"

Chazz's dagger softened to a compassionate gaze. "Don't say that." He placed a hand on one of the whitened knuckles to get them to lighten its grip. "Yeah, what he said made him an asshole, but-"

"Don't you dare defend him!" The obelisk student practically snarled.

"But!" The former obelisk yelled over him, "You shouldn't break your friendship over something like this without completely understanding the situation. I'm not the only one who's been kidnapped by supernatural forces, you know." He hinted at Nightshroud, and that made Zane's glare soften up. He had almost forgotten about that, but he still felt like Atticus was still in the wrong. No matter what, Chazz did not deserve to be berated the way he was. Chazz slid his hand up to the infuriated young man's bandaged head. "Boy, he must've really hit your head hard for you to not see reason. I wish I could heal it, but I had my powers sealed away."

"What?" Zane completely forgot about his anger, and became concerned.

The embarrassed hermaphrodite explained, "My emotions got too high, and my body became dangerous."

"Then that shriek-"

"It was me," He withdrew himself as he shamefully looked down at nothing in particular. His shoulders slumped. "But it's not Atticus' fault. If I was normal, I would've been hurt like anyone else, but my emotions make me dangerous, so I had my powers sealed away. Now I'm just human with a lot of shitty emotions."

"Chazz-"

"You got into a fight with Atticus because of me which would've harmed your chances with graduation since getting into physical fights is a big no-no." She turned her face away from the student, "I care about you, Zane, and I still care about Atticus, so I'm going to talk to Atticus first, and when we work things out, you two will have your talk, and decide whether you want to make up or not." She slid his hand to his own, and only let her ring finger lie on top of his. "Just don't start any fights, alright."

Zane thought about what she proposed, and a stubborn part of him wanted to remain angry, but his reasonable side finally spoke up against it. He pulled away his ring finger and placed his whole hand over Chazz's, giving it a nice squeeze to express his own love.

"I will talk to him, but before you do, just know Chazz that you can love. I know because I, Bastion, and everyone else feels loved by your attentive eye that sees us. That looks out for us in your own little ways. If Atticus can't see that, then he's the one who needs to learn more about love."

Chazz looked to Zane to meet his gaze, and saw the honesty coated over those teal blue eyes. She felt her body welled up and in need to burst out, but she pushed them back, and forced a short, superficial laugh, "Heh. That's cute coming from someone who's secretly a sadist. You damn bastard...Thanks. I should go now." She gave Zane a kiss on the cheek before leaving out of the balcony with his cat-like reflexes. He went to the nurse's office where Ms. Fontaine was refusing any visitors except Alexis. Yet when Atticus saw him at the door, he asked to let him in and be given some privacy.

Atticus had thought heavily on his actions, and what he was going to say next, so he went out with it, "Chazz before you say anything, I'm sorry for what I said. I have no good excuses other than that I..." He paused himself before he told Chazz that he was in love with him. Zane already pound it into him with his stern roars and growls that Chazz was a decent person who could love, and having sex with other people didn't change that. Atticus knew that, but he said something so despicable that he felt that he had no right to confess. Chazz deserved someone better, so he lied, "I felt betrayed. I see you as my little brother, Chazz, and if I discovered that Alexis did the same thing, I would've gone all protective, but I went overboard with you. It's okay if you don't forgive me. What I said deserved a beating from Zane."

Chazz was not surprised by the apology. He knew Atticus was a good person, and after what happened to him yesterday, his words didn't hurt as much. Just a dull sting.

He gave the so-called love expert a forgiving smile. "Since it looks like you learned your lesson, I'll forgive you."

"Really?" Atticus was was weird out by the easy repentance of his actions. It was almost insulting.

"Yeah. You acted like a complete asshole by how you handled the news, but the Chazz is a very forgiving person because I love you like a brother, Atticus," That confession was painful to hear for the man in love, yet Chazz was oblivious since he misunderstood Atticus's affections and reactions. The clueless teen passionately let him know, "And don't think that this will stop me from trying to win Alexis' heart! So you and Zane work things out. I'm okay. I love who I am," Chazz closed his eyes to feel that it was true. Especially after how the shadow, his duel academy friends, North Academy and especially Kaiba and the others had helped him regained his genuine moderately high self-esteem. "And you can't tear me down. Nobody can or at least I won't let them."

Chazz felt like he should end it there, but that made him begin to realize how terrible he was being for himself to forgive Atticus this easily. He wanted it to over, but he felt like he should do this a whole lot better to make it solid, but he didn't have the words. It was a good thing that summer was coming so they'll have time away from each other, and a little distance would be good between them. He quickly, hopefully not awkwardly, turned away after giving an upbeat, "So get well!"

He walked out of that academy main building, and went into the forest where he wished he could've gone out of there sooner, but also have done things more genuine and smoothly. He lied against a tree as his fragile self shivered by the cold discomfort of his awkward soul. He really could've done that better.

"You finally know how to start stably love yourself, but you still put your love for others above your own." Vivian sighed in a frustrated manner while lying on the tree next to him. "But I guess you can't always work things out like some great sage. Anyway, I won't be here next year since you don't need to be put in suicide watch anymore, and that relieves the fuck out of me. Now I can get back to my anime shows and throwing water balloons at assholes. But I'll be around when I'm needed or I'm bored."

Chazz chuckled at her way of saying goodbye for now. Her presence eased his discomfort like it always had. "Thank you for everything Vivian, even if you were a total crude bitch who seriously needs to work on her dark attitude."

Vivian snorted. "And you were a messed up fuck with some serious shitty coping mechanism."

"Well you know what they say about what happens when something doesn't kill you."

They both answered with a deadpanned tone, "A lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms and shitty, dark humor." They lightly laughed.

They slid down to sit on the grass, and just watched the sky in comfortable silence.

"So did you and the shadow fuck?"

"...Yeah."

"That's fuckin' hardcore."

"He was."

They stared at the sky some more in comfortable silence before chortling, snorting and giggling and then burst out laughing!

"Gawd, I'm a whore!" Chazz cried out shamelessly.

Vivian happily pointed out in a cool manner, "We both are."

They both sighed in content. It was good to be alive.

._._._.

And thus Zane and Atticus were able to makeup. Zane knew the truth that Atticus was in love with Chazz. He had his suspicions, and Atticus confirmed them. They both agreed that after what he said, he didn't deserve Chazz right now. There was a friendship that needed to be repaired first. Alexis wanted to know about what they were fighting about, and they both lied that it was over a girl that they knew back then, and Atticus did something stupid that Zane couldn't condone him for doing. But now them and the girl patched things up, but Atticus wasn't going to be around the girl for a long while until the pain that his mistakes caused were healed into scars.

Alexis wanted to know who this girl was, but she got the feeling from the awkward, strained and tense atmosphere that she wasn't allowed to know. But at least she got enough to report back to her dorm that the love crisis had been averted.

Bastion was informed about what happened by Zane, and the genius was astounded that such a thing could happen. He wanted to punch Atticus for saying such hurtful words, especially since Chazz was going through such a hard time with his emotions. However, he didn't want to restart the problem. He did talk to Chazz about it, and how he forgave Atticus too easily. Chazz explained to him that he knew she forgave too early, but Zane was graduating, and she couldn't forgive herself if she let Zane and Atticus break their friendship over her. She had a feeling that all three of them knew what her motives were, so the two older duelists were just going along with it for her sake, and they both had to admit that they didn't want to end their friendship either. Not after Atticus just came back from a horrifying experience recently. He also needed his friends. Who was Chazz to deny that. Bastion couldn't argue against that, so he took a step back from this.

In the next following days, Atticus acted like his happy-go-lucky self around everyone, and Chazz acted like his usual rude self, but acted only kind to Atticus, yet the distance between them was obvious to Syrus who watched them talk about how their quizzes went during lunch.

"Huh. Looks like I was wrong."

"Hm? Wrong about what?" Jaden asked with his mouth full of food.

"About Atticus and Chazz getting together. I don't know what happened, but it looks like one of them rejected the other, but they're awkwardly still trying to be friends." Syrus whispered.

"Mm?" Jaden looked over his shoulder, despite Syrus hissing to not to. He saw the two males talking like they usually did before, but even an oblivious guy like him could feel the awkward distance between them. The conversation being forced, so the two of them didn't move back any further. He looked away as he felt something strange in his chest, but he smothered it out of habit.

"You can feel it too right." The little blue haired Slifer whispered. "But it's nice to see that they're still trying to be friends. I don't think I could remain friends with someone who rejected my feelings. It's so awkward. Right, Ja-"

His best friend stood up and moved over to where the two awkward friends were sitting. Completely barging in without a care. "Hey! Mind if I sit here! I couldn't help noticing how you weren't drinking your soup, Chazz! Can I have it!"

Chazz's attention on Atticus completely dissipated as it was overcome by his annoyance for Jaden. "What?! No! You can't have it!"

"But you aren't going to drink it right? Thanks!" The gluttonous Slifer took it in one swoop.

"Hey! I was going to drink it! Dammit it, slacker! Stop stealing my food! Who'dya think you are! Robin hood where your stomach is the poor!"

"Wow! I didn't think you saw me as such a heroic classic!"

"It wasn't a compliment! I was mocking you! Mocking you!"

"Really? I thought you were Chazz?"

"Are you pulling a damn reverse dad joke on me?! That's it! I'm going to make you choke on that soup!" Chazz took the soup and threw it at his face, but Jaden dodged. That only made the annoyed darkly dressed Slifer try to attack him with their duel spirits watching them out of amusement. Jaden was laughing while Chazz was yelling.

Syrus and Atticus watched them fight, and they both felt the awkward, strained, and tense atmosphere be cleansed away like nothing. Now everything felt happier...almost affectionate to the crowd except for the two oblivious idiots.

._._._.

 **Episode 51-52**

On the day of the Graduation duel that was going to go on tonight, Zane chose Jaden as his duel opponent since he recognized the first year's raw talent to become the best. Chazz was pissed off and jealous when he heard about it from Alexis! He should be the one battling Zane! Why didn't he choose him! He was so upset that he avoided the stupid obelisk that day, and Vivian comforted him in her own way with tea on a tree branch. Later that night, the duel happened, and Chazz was upset with how Jaden was dueling. What the hell?! What does he means he's using his brains?! When did he have those?!

Chazz was glad when Zane talked him out of his stupidity, but that led to a break of watching the food disposal swallow his food. Dammit! Lose already Jaden! But he didn't lose. Instead, the two ended up having a tie, and for the first time, Zane wasn't laughing at him! He felt pissed, but also pleased by the duel. He'll secretly admit that it was an intense and fun duel to watch, even if he wasn't the one dueling.

He left the arena immediately since he didn't want to talk to those two. He instead went to the dance studio where Vivian was waiting for him. She figured that he would want to dance off the rush that watching the duel gave him, so she was at the piano with her voice prepared to sing for him. Bastion was not far behind, and the two did one dance before Chazz suggested to do a slow tango for a change. Bastion knew little about it, but Chazz did, and Bastion knew how to follow his instructions, so the two got into position. They swept across the floor with their feet making smooth twists and turns that it looked like their feet could tangle and trip each other at some point, but they were flawless in their easy-looking, simple movements.

"I didn't know this place also gave tango lessons." Zane lightly joked from the doors.

It was easy for Bastion to tell what he was doing there so he politely excused himself out of the room to give them privacy. Vivian had to be there since she was the music.

 _Song: One dance - Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla covered by SarahClose1_

Chazz gave the duelist a lopsided smile. "I only give them to those who're not in the amateur level, but I know a dance style I could teach you that you can't possibly screw up."

"Heh. There's a reason why I avoided dancing for months."

Zane let Chazz place his hands at the right places for a slow dance. The dancing expert gave his instructions, and the older man wasn't kidding when he hinted at being awful. He was far too stiff, nearly stepped on Chazz's feet multiple times, and couldn't follow with basic instructions properly. Dueling was just a standing event, so Chazz couldn't highly criticize Zane's poor skills at a basic dance style, but it was laughable. Atticus came by the dance studio to see Chazz, but then he caught the two of them dancing, and decided to just hide at the corner of a window to watch them until he found the right time to come in and not ruin their moment.

It took over an hour for the two duelists to smoothly dance across the room. "There! Now you can dance without making a complete fool of yourself! And it was all thanks to me! The Chazz! Wished you would've dueled me instead, huh."

Zane softly chuckled, "You always knew how to make me laugh."

Chazz felt a vein throb. "UH! You are impossible! I want to kick your shin so badly that you can never properly walk again, but I did not just waste my time teaching you how to dance for nothing! Be grateful dammit!"

"I am." Zane admitted affectionately. His teal eyes softening to an adoring expression. Chazz looked at the odd face with wonder. "I'll miss you when I'm gone."

"What are you talking about? You're not going to die or anything. Just give me your damn phone number and text me when you have the time to talk. Are do you plan on abandoning us? Melodramatic much." Chazz was being Chazz and Zane loved it.

He kissed Chazz on the lips, and held the blushing, spluttering teen dearly. Atticus' eyes widened at the revealed truth. So Zane knew about his feelings, and yet Atticus was not aware at all that Zane felt the same way. No wonder he was as furious as he was before. Atticus sighed in defeat. He should really just aim at being friends with Chazz again, and leave Zane to battle for his heart.

The next day, Alexis, Syrus, Jaden, Chazz, Bastion, and Atticus were assembled to say goodbye to Zane who was going off into the adult world in the pro leagues. Atticus went last to turn in his defeat, "It's good to see my best friend since first year graduate! Wished I could be with you, Zaney, but I gotta make up my grades."

Zane nodded with an understanding smile, "I wished for the same. I'll miss you. Hope to see you graduate in two more years."

"You bet! Oh and Zane...about that girl." Ears perked up at that. Zane's brows furrowed in curiosity. "I understand how you feel about her now, and I'm not the type to give up, but after what I did, we both know that you're the better man for her."

There were gasps. Everyone wanted to know who this girl was including Chazz who was clueless that they were talking about the 'girl' that they fought over. He thought they were talking about some completely different person he hadn't heard about.

Zane quickly corrected him, "It's not like that."

But Atticus wasn't going to be fooled, "We both know that isn't true, or you wouldn't have kissed her."

There were jaw drops. Zane looked like he was caught red handed!

"Whoa wait! Who is this girl?!" Chazz questioned, too curious to not say a word.

"Yeah! I actually wanna know, too." Jaden wasn't one for romance, but for Zane to go behind his best friend's back and kiss his girl was big news, even for him.

"I'd like to know to." Alexis said.

"Me too! C'mon! Spill Zane! Atticus?" Syrus pleaded.

Bastion felt an animated sweat drop since he knew clearly of who the two were talking about, and a clueless Chazz was not helping the predicament.

Zane ignored them and told it straight to Atticus, "The kiss was just a tease. Something we did to joke around with each other."

"Maybe. But I saw the look in your eyes, and it was filled with more affection than any look you gave anyone including Alexis who you spent most of your time with here. You're in love with her. You just don't know it because you keep priding yourself as someone who didn't get involved with things like love, but I dare you to take another good look at her without that pride, and just feel what you feel when you do."

Zane wanted to tell him he was wrong so he did glance at the group, and he didn't make it obvious that he was staring mostly at Chazz. He stopped his thoughts and just felt what he felt for the teen. Chazz looked back at him with a clueless, curious expression. Those gray eyes softening to reveal the child-like glimmer in them. He took notice of her pale skin that was getting healthier with her thin pink lips slightly parted. He knew how those lips felt against his, and he remembered how it filled him with happiness to touch them. He felt both happy and protective over Chazz, and he felt the same for Alexis, but he felt a feeling of desire to do something else with Chazz. A feeling to be more than a protector and a friend...

Zane looked away realizing what his heart was leading his head to think, and he understood. He smiled. "I still stand by my words, Atticus. I do feel something more, but it's not romantic love. I just love her like how a knight should love his princess, and I'm comfortable sharing a kiss or two, but nothing more."

"A bond of a knight and princess you say." It was true that many time in a fairy tale that a princess would fall for her savior which was usually a knight, but in the real world, a princess and knight never married. A knight was to only protect the princess and all she stood for, so in this version, Zane believed that Chazz needed him more than Alexis ever would to the point that it was a knight and princess relationship. And that led to feelings that would trick people into believing it was love, but at truth, it was just a deep friendship.

Atticus understood. "I see. Now I understand."

Zane was glad. "Thanks Atticus, but don't think you can date her."

"Don't worry, I won't. Even if you weren't in love with her, I knew that it was best for me to give up. Let's hope she'll be with someone who deserves her."

"Let's hope."

They said their farewells before Zane boarded the helicopter that was sent out for him. Chazz really wanted to know who was the chick they were fighting over, and Bastion took it upon himself to lie to him since he knew it was best that Chazz wasn't aware of Atticus' feelings after everything that happened. The year was already awkward enough.

Hopefully next year would be a little less.

However in a white room, a fortune teller was shuffling his tarot deck. The Light standing behind him with a playful grin as she looked through family photo album that showed a young Aster Pheonix, his father, and a woman with pale skin, grey eyes, and platinum blond hair.

"It's almost time for the games to begin."

._._._.

A/N: DONE! Hoped you like my little hint in the end. Heh heh heh! Expect some Light background at the beginning of the next chapter.

*Men and women take off their shirts differently because of either how the shirt is made or mimicry and habit. Thought I should point this out if one of you would've been confused by how taking off a shirt would be different among genders.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: There's a little subplot involving the Light while Chazz is still going through the motions of his life. It will be in italics.

WARNING: A warning for those who is extremely sensitive to the topic of sexual assault. There is only a single mention of rape, but nothing to do with the main characters.

._._._.

 _Twenty-Nine Years Ago_

 _"When I formed a conscience, my first thought wasn't in words. It was just a feeling. Curiosity. What was that? Who am I? Then patience. Will I figure it out or will something tell me? Then a little naughtiness or ignorance as I went out to search for those answers, and I realized I wasn't alone. There was someone there, and I felt a force that felt painful and pleasurable. I guess you could say I attacked like an archaeologist destroying the earth to find unknown mysteries, and if I push hard enough, there was a blast, and I would die, revive, and restart again and again. I didn't know that was happening until this world was created. I pushed myself against someone, only very lightly, and a blast rang out and shook this amazing world a bit and caused changes in events, but it was still there, and I came into this world without realizing I had been here before, and I'm still here."_

 _Song: You're So Creepy - Ghost Town (Acoustic Version)_

 _"THAT'S IT FOR TONIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Name's Hikari and I ain't sorry that you wasted your precious little lives listening to my crazy ramblings! Goodnight!" The Light dramatically bowed in her ghostly pale_ _body, shining glimmering eyes, and platinum blond hair shaped in a bob hair cut with bangs. She walked off the stage that she took advantage of to scare her target out of the bar._

 _She followed him out, acted distracted and unguarded, and just as she expected, the man tried to assault her, but she got him down on the ground and had him a sobbing mess for his life before she snapped his neck. She gasped in a moan at the feel of this person's chaotic light energizing her body._

 _"Uh...?" The Light looked to the sound to see a seventeen-year-old teenage boy with dark grey hair and palatinate blue eyes staring at the murder that just concurred._

 _The Light grinned at him with her lilac lips. "I was just having dinner."_

 _At these words, the teenager's brows furrowed in confusion. "You're a cannibal?"_

 _"Pfft! Hahaha! Urgh! Nngh! Just on light energy. You see hot stuff, everyone is born with a light inside them that's chaotic, but that's not such a bad thing because it gives people the DRIVE to live, but..." She slid her finger across the dead man's freezing cheek. "Some people's light get too chaotic that it becomes toxic. This guy raped multiple women just to feel like his masculinity was secured. His drive to feel like a man led him to do some sick deprived stuff. Isn't that funny?!"_

 _The teenage boy blinked. "So you're like...an anti-hero with supernatural powers?"_

 _The Light cocked her sick head to the side. "You're an adorable, inquisitive boy aren't you."_

 _"That, and I'm too terrified to run, but I get the feeling that you aren't going to hurt me."_

 _"Oh? And what makes you think that?"_

 _"Because there has been news about similar murders happening which makes you a serial killer, so you don't kill people that are not your type. That'd just make your so-called work of art pointless."_

 _"BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Light got off the corpse to approach this interesting little man with a psychotic smile. "Do we have someone wanting to be an FBI agent here?"_

 _The teenage boy stopped breathing for a second when he felt the dangerous aura this one emitted subtly. He swallowed the air to answer, "No. It's just something I picked up from comic books."_

 _"Comic books? Mmmm." The Light took his hand and twirled herself into his hold. She looked up at him with half lidded eyes and caressed his cheek with her chilling hand. "Tell me more, Mister Comic book man."_

 _"Uhm. Okay. My name is-"_

 _"Last name only, darling."_

 _"Phoenix then?"_

 _"Well then Phoenix, welcome to the Light."_

._._._.

 **Episode 53-55**

Chazz was back at Duel Academy and feeling **_a lot_** better than last year. Vivian wasn't around this time to watch over him, but that only reassured him that he could function properly alone. He formed some strong bonds with Joey and the others during the summer. Zane and him messaged or talked on the phone whenever they could. Bastion and him would video message whenever they could, too, since the genius was busy doing a summer internship at some lab. Chazz also went through some decent therapy with a woman who reminded him of Joey for some reason. She was a lot smarter and wiser though. He was uncomfortable and also slightly irritated in seeing her, but he always left feeling like he learned something. So he believed that he was so ready to try his best again to get back into the Blue dorm, and finally beat Jaden at his own game!

It also didn't hurt that him and Alexis could be together again! Sure the shadow confessed his love and all, but they couldn't form a relationship by how he wasn't around at all that much. And it's not like Chazz made any promises to wait for him, so he was a free man!

Outside the horrid dorm, he saw Alexis coming toward the Slifer dorm. To see him of course! He was going to try his best to swoon her, but then they noticed Syrus and Ms. Dorothy looking down a cliff. They checked, and saw Jaden dueling some Freshmen punk. Who was nothing like him despite what everyone said! He'd never play Ojama Yellow on the first turn! And not only that, but this punk whipped out a cellphone during a duel, and spouted some nonsense about destiny! It was a good thing Jaden won that duel, even if that punk only made up his deck earlier with random cards.

However, it turned out that that punk was Aster Phoenix! A pro in the world leagues like Zane, except he was only sixteen! Chazz was usually updated on the world of dueling, but after what he's been through, he guessed he lost track.

Well, whatever. His aim was to get into the blue dorm. He got the chance when Crowler pinned him against some snotty obelisk blue who acted like the snob Chazz used to be. He still was, but not to this obelisk's extent. He won the duel, but then the Slifers just had to take his words incorrectly, which led to Crowler keeping him in the dorm!

NOOOOOO!

Ugh, but at least Chazz was prepared with a work crew to fix the place up which will only take less than two months. Since his room was in the middle of remodeling, he made himself comfy on Chumley's former bed. It was not very comfy, but he can deal with it until his new room was finished. But then it started getting cramped when some Ra Yellow guy who fancied himself as a Sergeant began rooming in with them. Chazz hated cramped places, so it was a good thing that he spent as much time as he could outside of that room and on the dance floors of the studio. Nobody wanted to join the dance club again, so Ms. Bellaforte thought it was a pointless thing, and just let Chazz have it, which he used to his full advantage for dancing, doing homework, talking to Zane or Vivian over the phone, and dance with Bastion for a few times.

The first month of the school year was passing fast, and Chazz began realizing that it was weird that she hadn't seen someone for awhile. She went to the beach, and there he was, Atticus, who was talking to his fangirls. The popular Casanova caught her from the corner of his eye, and bid the girls adieu.

Chazz greeted him with an affectionate, friendly smile. "Hey Atticus. I haven't seen you around."

The taller brunet returned the smile, but more out of politeness, which Chazz noticed as a sign that the man wasn't happy to see her. He spoke as if they were still friends though, "Yeah, must be because we have different classes, and Crowler is helping me become the dueling pop star I always dreamed of being!"

"Dueling pop star?" Chazz supposed she heard those kinds existed. "So you're going to sing while dueling?"

"Totally! It'll be like a musical! Who doesn't love a good musical!"

"Uh..." Chazz didn't want to offend him, and she tried to find other things to talk about, but then the awkwardness they had last year began to sink in between them. Atticus obviously didn't want to spend time with her, so it was probably best to just try to be a supportive friend since being close like before wasn't possible. It hurt Chazz to know that this was what their friendship became after some time apart. She'll try to make it a little better though. "So no one is in the dance club again, so I have the dance studio all to myself."

"Oh really? That's great, but kinda sad nobody else wants to dance. I'd join, but...Crowler and you know..." Atticus knew he was holding back from having their friendship heal, but he still wasn't sure if his heart could handle being near Chazz right now. He wasn't as in love as before, but there was a chance of falling that deep again, and he didn't want that.

Chazz understood the fade out of his words, and the way he forced himself to look her in the eyes as his body slightly tensed up. She didn't know if she was being insensitive for thinking they could be good friends again. She guessed she still had a lot to learn about how to be friends with other teenagers. "Yeah...I should probably get going." She nodded, and turned away with a frown. This year was still better than last, but not great.

Atticus felt guilty for letting her leave like that, so he mentally slapped himself to get his act together to call out to her, "Chazz!" She looked over her shoulder to see the former senior looking at her with a resolve that led to him smiling more with words of encouragement, "I'm still rooting for you to win Alexis' heart!" He gave her a wink, and a thumbs up.

Chazz's eyes lit up at the sight, and nodded. "You can count on me!" Their gazes locked on each other and feelings of mutual happiness was exchanged between the two. "I'm really glad you're back, Atticus. I hope this year treats you better."

The brunet with his unrequited love felt supported yet in pain by Chazz's earnest words. He gave a simple, "You too."

This year may be great for them after all.

It did get better when Chazz went on a trip to see North Academy to see all the new Freshmen. She was pleasantly happy to see that Bernie Anderson was among them, and presented her with viscaria flowers. Her favorites. She thanked him generously with first a duel which she won, and then a dance performance that caught all the newbies' hearts.

._._._.

 _Twenty-Six Years Ago_

 _"Oh Phoeeeeeenix! DUCK!" The Light cried out as she shot her stun gun at a murderer behind her man. She walked over to the waste of life and crushed her neck with her boot. A white energy poured out of the dead woman, which the Light drank up. "WHOO! That's one for the Phoenix Enforcer and the PLASMA! Playing anti-hero is so much fun!" She walked up to the twenty-year-old, and landed a big ol' smooch on his lips. "You look fuckin' ridiculous in your costume."_

 _The young man joked, "Great. Because you're the one who dressed me up like this."_

 _"Right! Did I? I thought I did in the other world. Well, whatever. Crazy coocoo needs to just live in the now! Let's go kill some more chaotic people out there!"_

 _"That'd be fun and all, but I need to get back to my college dorm to do my projects."_

 _"Awwwwwww! But I wanna have more fun with my birdie! My speck of Light isn't born yet. I should know because I am literally looking at over three-hundred babies that are popping like popcorn a day! Gawd, why did she have to cut off our connection! I'm not a bad guy anymore! Actually I still do pull saw Saw movie bullshit for entertainment, but I do it mostly to assholes!"_

 _"Mostly?"_

 _"Some people are evil in other worlds, so I get them mixed up with their good ones, so SHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She exaggerated her shushing by puckering her lips too much and waving her body around. "But I like you cuz you seem pretty chill with a psychotic chick like me! And for whatever stupid destiny reason, I am pulled to you. I swear, I could get anyone I wanted, but I like you the best. ISN'T THAT WEIRD!"_

 _Phoenix casually shrugged, "I don't know why you like a simple guy like me, but I guess I'm cool with what you do because it's not so black and white. It's like living in the world of comic books and its pretty terrifying but awesome, too."_

 _"I LIKE YOu BECAUSE YOU are just sooooo interested in me and not in a sciencey or studenty way! You just love to watch me like a television show! And it makes my heart go flutter andd you like having me around for two years! THREE YEARS I MEAN! I cause destruction, but I'd never destroy a world! I'd never destroy a way of life because it breaks and fixes itself like a game I LOVE TO PLAY! Play with me, Phoenix! I only want to be like water or wind! Whatever breaks away a mountain and forms a waterfall!"_

 _She was grinning wide and becoming gleeful at the sight of this man's smile. The way he smiled drew her to him. The way it made her feel...the way it made her feel made her enjoy life a little bit more, and kill herself little by little to be at this man's speed of life._

 _Death was a nice thing to look forward to with this person._

._._._.

 **Episode 56-61**

Chazz couldn't have left that roach infested room fast enough when his room was finished. He zipped right out of class, grabbed his things, and moved in to his new pad in a heartbeat. He had everything he wanted like how he wanted it! And it got better when Alexis joined him! However, celebrations had to wait because Syrus became the next victim of Crowler's plan to use them to boost his career.

The ravenet secretly hoped that Syrus would win since it'd just be sad if he lost. With a card like power bond, he might win, but then to his surprise, Syrus trusted him to give the card to Jaden. Chazz thought about giving it back, but then, he knew that Syrus was trying to prove a point that he could understand. To get anywhere big in life, you can't depend on your big brother's cards to get there. That must've been why Syrus gave it to him, so he took it. Everyone got mad at him later, and called him a thief. Rude much, but it proved that Syrus could do things on his own after he won his duel and moved up to Ra Yellow. However, he stayed in the Slifer dorm for some Slifer at heart crap, and Jaden was still being a gluttonous shrimp stealing idiot again!

Chazz told Zane all about it over the phone.

"So yeah, your shrimp of a brother actually proved to be not a total loser, but he's still a little shit." Chazz had been teased relentlessly by Syrus about the time they slept together in his room, and about how he confessed to being friends. He bullied him right back, even if it seemed to backfire. Those days rooming with him were fun/hell, and Jaden's snores weren't making it better.

Zane chuckled, "I'm glad to hear that. Its nice to hear he's doing well. How about you and Atticus?"

Chazz felt his mood droop a little. "We're good. Not like before, but Crowler is helping him become a popstar, so I barely see him. He's annoying like usual when he's around, but it's fun."

The bluenet was glad to hear that. When he confronted Atticus before, he was also shocked when he threw a punch. He believed it was because Atticus did practically call Chazz a loveless whore, but with elaborated words to make it sting more. He was so angry because Atticus had no right to judge, and yet, he made Chazz feel ashamed of himself without knowing of the hardships that Chazz went through to accept his body again. Now that Zane took a step back and really thought about what happened, he probably should've stopped Atticus from having that pretend date with Chazz in the first place. Atticus was at a vulnerable spot in his life where he had to reform friendships and trust after Nightshroud took about a year out of his life away. With how Chazz was very attentive, dressed like a girl, and only treated Atticus specially, it was no wonder his best friend fell in love with her. Atticus' own rage wasn't so much from Chazz sleeping around, but the fact that he felt used by Chazz, and Zane understood that when such a thought occurred, it was hard to see reason. He could've understood Atticus' berate if he saw reason, but the thought of him having hurt Chazz prevented him.

In conclusion, Zane was also at fault for letting two incredibly vulnerable people get close to each other without someone who would come in between them if they noticed the red flags. Vivian couldn't since she was ordered only to prevent physical self-harm. Yet, now they could just let it go, and be friends again.

Chazz spoke up above his thoughts. "Anyway, I heard a rumor that you'll be facing Aster Phoenix. Heard that he's supposed to be some great prodigy, but I know you'll beat a kid like him down."

"My, my, are you complimenting me, Mr. Princeton. How generous of you." The pro teased with a cool sarcastic tone.

The teased intermale blushed, "Shut up, idiot. I already have one shitty Truesdale I had to bunk with for a month, I am having none of your shit either."

The former student stifled his laughter. "So how are you and Alexis? Is she still rooming with you?"

Chazz perked up at the question almost cutely. "Yes! And I haven't made my move yet since she's busy with classes and stuff. She's always so busy," In other words, avoiding Chazz, but Zane politely kept his lips shut. "We are sleeping under the same roof, but she's a lady, and I don't want to scare her off. Just waking up to her beautiful face and sharing sweet mornings together is enough for me. Yup! I'm definitely living in the life of luxury! Oh, my sweet Alexis!" He daydreamed of her beautiful smiling face.

Zane felt an animated sweat drop by how the poor lovestruck fool was still under the confabulation that he was in love with Alexis. It might actually be real feelings now, but just like with Atticus, it's never going to happen. At least, Chazz was being a decent, honest roommate. "I haven't heard about Bastion. How is he doing? Are you two still sharing a friends-with-benefits relationship?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I also crash at his room when the Slifer cafeteria serves beans for dinner. The whole place smells worse than a pigsty in the morning! They must be nose blind if they're not vomiting at the smell." Chazz fake vomit at the memory of the odor he was welcomed to in the morning.

"Heh. And Jaden?"

"Lucky slacker-idiot. End of story." Chazz hadn't dueled Jaden again yet, despite how many times he asked to duel everyday. His excuses were that they haven't been assigned to duel each other, but at truth, he didn't feel ready yet. They haven't dueled since last year at the annual school duel, and in that duel and the last duel before that, Chazz's chest was in so much pain that it was unbearable. He reluctantly admitted that he was scared that losing to Jaden again would result in severe unknown injuries, especially now that he could feel more. Something about Jaden's energy was different and dangerous.

"Is that all?" Zane questioned.

"Yup. If you want to know more, go call your little brother. He's still acting like his keeper or something."

The teal blue-eyed pro duelist figured it would be like that. Then his manager gestured for him to come to talk. He gave his goodbye first, "You have an interesting life, Chazz. Alright. I have to go now."

"Okay. Bye."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. AH! Wait, you fucker! You tricked me! I take all the nice things I said about you back! You're the absolute worst and I hope your career goes up in flames! BYE!" He hung up his phone, but not without hearing Zane begin to laugh at him. He can't believe he was still friends with that guy.

He still rooted for him though when the duel between Aster and him happened. He got jealous at all the fangirls those two assholes had. Yet, he forgot all about that when Zane lost, and after that, Aster was coming after Jaden over some deck copy problem. Chazz didn't care about that. He was worried about Zane. He tried calling him the next day since he figured Zane would be too distraught to talk that night, but then he didn't pick up no matter how many times he called.

"Zane's not picking up." He was in Bastion's room where he had been spending the last hour trying to get in touch with Zane. "Dammit!" He chucked his phone at the wall. "Fuck you, Zane! I'm trying to be a good friend here and here you are ignoring me!"

"I guess the shock of losing haven't wore off yet. Give it some time, and I'm sure he'll answer your call eventually." The Ra Yellow suggested as he clicked away at the keyboard to find more information on this Aster person.

"Maybe! But at least send a text to make me know you're still breathing or something! Even if he was busy before, he'd at least send me a stupid cat picture to piss me off!" Chazz felt like he could angrily cry, but he didn't want to do that on Bastion's bed. "And that stupid punk, Aster! Going off about his stupid ramblings about destiny and some shit! Well, you know what I think of destiny! I think it's pure bullcrap! There's no such thing as destiny! I'm Chazz Princeton and I decide what I do whether it's good or bad! Isn't that right, Levy!"

"Levy?" Bastion stopped his typing to arch an eyebrow at the ravenet who was huddled on his bed with a pillow in his arms.

Chazz realized what he yelled, and didn't know why he cried out that name. He answered Bastion, "No one. No one I know." He didn't know who Levy was, but the name sounded so familiar. If Chazz hadn't met this person yet, then they...the war...Chazz held the pillow closer to him to prevent the dread settling in his stomach. He wasn't ready for that yet. Bastion had an idea of what happened, so he came over to his best friend, and distracted him with some news about dueling and also so nerd stuff. His duel spirits also appeared trying to help him feel better.

It helped him somewhat, so it was a good thing that there was the battle between Aster and Jaden happening soon. That could distract him, but then he was greeted with a set of Destiny Hero cards that controlled Jaden like destiny would have. Not only that, but also a tragic backstory behind them about how Aster's father was killed because of one card that could be the most powerful, but even Chazz wouldn't have gone that far for it.

It became worse when after the duel, Winged Kuriboh tried to talk to Jaden, but he couldn't hear or see him. Winged Kuriboh desperately went to Chazz for help, despite not knowing what she could possibly do. She knew what she could do, so she secretly called Seto Kaiba to unlock her powers to help. When she got them back, she tried to heal Jaden during his sleep in the middle of the night without her presence being seen or heard by even the duel spirits. She placed her hands on the slacker's eyes and she could feel Jaden's usually strong spirit weakened by a toxic source of light.

She had the light seep through his lids gently. It was too dangerous to let such an energy with the power to cause chaos in nature to go free, so Chazz though it was best to consume the light. However, once she drank it, she felt her chest convulse for her to vomit it out. She held back the urge, so she could swallow more of the light until she knew where to dispose of it.

But then suddenly her wrists were grabbed roughly by Jaden, and his eyes were wide open. His irises glowing a dangerous yellow. "Put it back." He ordered with a flat voice that bordered anger.

"What? But you won't-urgh!" Chazz shut his lips to swallow the toxic matter.

"The light you are consuming is too toxic for you to control, and at your level of power, you can't hope to dispose of it anywhere safe without causing a catastrophe. Put it back, and don't worry about me. I can sense their energies coming, and it will strengthen mine."

"Energies? Jaden-"

"I'm not Jaden." The teenage boy sat on the edge of his bed. His grip on Chazz's wrists lightening as he placed his lips on hers to swallow the toxic light back into him.

Chazz tried to get it back, but whoever this was controlling Jaden's body held her back. She said, "No. I can help."

"No, you can't." He out right rejected her.

She felt slapped by that, and furiously yelled, "Don't tell me I can't! I can at least-"

"Just leave us alone, Chazz. This is out of your hands." This...Whoever this asshole was laid back down and went to sleep with the toxic light inside him.

Chazz stared at Jaden for a few more minutes before stomping out of the room. "What the hell..." He called Vivian for help, and she answered that whoever he talked to last night was Jaden's unspoken power, which can control a person's personality and probably alter memories. The same could happen to the dancer if her powers overcame her person. However, it didn't make whoever talked to Chazz the enemy. She advised that it was best to let it go, and make things work out for themselves.

So in other words, Chazz can't do anything...again. He tried to still be useful by at least giving everyone hope that they could protect the Slifer dorm without him, and he figured that maybe destiny had something planned for Jaden to help him out, so he waited for three days while hearing everyone moan about it, and watching Syrus break down in tears. Eventually, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he thought maybe if they dueled while using his powers, it could help Jaden. He was still scared of the pain that might come his way, but he just couldn't sit things through!

Yet, he was turned down.

That was great. He can't help Jaden so he can't help Syrus and everyone else, and Zane hadn't answered any of his messages or phone calls. The only good side was that him and Atticus were becoming friends again, but even that wasn't going as well as he'd like. With or without his powers, he was useless. Was this how friendships worked for teenagers now? Yugi got his friends by a magical artifact, which gave him friends that could depend each other.

Chazz got his friends by random, so...what? With friends like these, they have their problems, and they can't help each other out? Chazz had been needing so much help, and now that he wanted to return it, he's too useless to do so? He began to feel the light in his chest dim down at these spiraling thoughts. Unable to get his own moods up even with Bastion's or anyone's help, he tried using his anger to keep himself from getting more down. He can't feel severely depressed again after all the progress he was making!

"Whatever!" He yelled out to the sea from the cliff he stood at. "These idiots can help themselves! The Chazz has more important things to do!"

From the sky, the Light smirked at her disgruntled little daughter. Things were going as planned.

Later that day, Syrus told everyone that Jaden ran away. Chazz couldn't believe he would do something pathetic like that. He'd know since he did it himself. He bothered to act like he was looking for the slacker. With his powers, he knew where Jaden was, but he wasn't sure if he wanted the slacker around. Maybe whatever the idiot was doing was part of what he had to do to heal himself, but it still annoyed the hell out of Chazz that Jaden would ditch everyone without a word! The former obelisk didn't have friends when he left, so what Jaden was doing was selfish!

WHY ISN'T ANYONE DEPENDING ON THEIR FRIENDS?! FIRST ZANE?! NOW JADEN?! WHY ARE THESE SO CALLED GREAT DUELISTS IN THIS ACADEMY ALWAYS TRYING TO DO THINGS ALONE!

Chazz wished he wasn't so useless. As if his prayers answered, Sartorius appeared. However, something wasn't right about him. What with how creepy he looked, the weird-ass fog, how he used a table instead of a duel disk, and how he wasn't even looking at his cards! Who did he think he was?! Mai Valentine?! He was totally a cheater! And what nerve at calling him a hangman! And why was he talking about seeing the light? Chazz had light powers already, so this person must be a fake to not know he was already in the light! He was going to show him, and he did get him to his last hundred life points!

But everything took a turn for the worse when Sartorius had him choose which card he would play, and it was the hangman card he showed Chazz earlier, and how it represented him and his turmoils with being unable to duel Jaden because he was afraid of what the failure would do to him. The proud duelist tried to deny it, but Sartorius was saying all the right words that was undoing everything he learned during the summer. Nothing he learned was helping him now. He was supposed to be there for his friends. He was supposed to be strong. However, he knew it, too. He knew that he was a coward, and he was useless to those who needed him. Otherwise, Zane would've returned his calls. Otherwise, Atticus and him wouldn't have wounded their friendship in the first place, and they would still be hanging out like before. Otherwise, Jaden wouldn't have ran away, and Syrus and everyone else wouldn't be miserable.

Sartorius was only talking about Jaden, and it made Chazz think about how happy that stupid slacker used to be before he lost to Aster. Now that he's gone, who was going to be the best duelist in the academy and protect the Slifer dorm and whatever else came their way. Could he do it? How could he by how weak he was now?

The glass pieces in his heart had been dimming down more and more since Zane refused his calls, and Chazz couldn't let that happen! He needed the light inside him to be stronger!

"Alright! Help me! Show me the Light!"

And just like that, he was hung upside down like the hangman, and the darkness inside him was overcome by the light. His mind went blank as he was laid on the ground.

"Ladadee! Ladadoo! Ladadum! Ladadee! Ladadoo! Ladadum!" The Light appeared by her daughter's side, and bought her to her dorm with his folded white uniform and boots on his table. She made sure Alexis didn't wake up. The Ojamas appeared to understand what was happening, and try to defend Chazz, but a single glare from her, and they disappeared. She chuckled at their cowardice, "You used to have such a mighty dragon as your spirit partner, but now you have the reincarnation of your Ojama brothers when you decided to live in their little kingdom."

She had a table board game appear in the middle of Chazz's living room that had the map of the world with three-dimensional landscapes and board pieces in the form of her victims. "I'm so glad Crimson is distracted with her hero work, or she would've tried to stop me. And Judai won't be getting you out of my control since he only comes if he senses your emotions rising or falling. It's so fun playing with people's emotions and pride! Everything is playing just like I want it to! I watched you form such sweet ideals of friendships by watching dear Yugi and the others, but friendships aren't so sweet are they, child. Not when your friends are put in tough positions, but I don't destroy without knowing that I could create. Your little knight Zane prided himself as undefeated but after being defeated by my sweet Aster, he lost his self-confidence, and ignores you because he's ashamed of himself. So kind, but such a big fragile EGO!" She moved her Mr. Shroud doll closer to Zane who was losing more battles.

"Then there's the lil' dark prince. He's pride and joy, practically his religion is dueling, but now that he can't see his cards, he need to get new ones. And just as you know it, two meteorites are aiming their way to the ocean and to Duel Academy. Without a doubt, these cards will make him just as powerful as my little prince of light, Aster. That's right, Chazz." The Light approached the sleeping teen, and leaned down to his face with a sickening sweet smile. "Here is some good ol' bullshit that you won't believe, but I discovered what love is, and it gave you a little brother. But he can't use his powers like you yet since he hadn't healed from the trauma of his father's death. But Jaden will fix that, and the two brother-in-laws are going to save the world together! I just want us all to be a family."

._._._.

 _Seventeen Years Ago_

 _Song: Your Body is a Wonderland - John Mayer_

 _"Isn't she so cute! Isn't she so cute! Isn't she so cute!" The Light was showing off the baby photos she took of baby Chazz to her twenty-nine-year-old husband who was currently one of the best illustrators for Industrial illusions. "Can you believe that my daughter finally decided to be born half a man! But fuck, does she has some crummy parents! A neglectful mother and an abusive father with some serious insecurity issues. I'm going to kill them some day. I'd kill them now, but I can see the eyes of a murderer in their adopted son who totally has the hots for his older brother. Damn that queen bitch who totally got obliterated from the Harsh Bastard." The Light then gasped dramatically like a cartoon coming to a realization. "WE SHOULD MAKE A BABY!"_

 _"That's good dear." Phoenix said half-heartedly as he concentrated on his drawing, but then he found his dick whipped out, and his wife already on that._

 _"What do you think his name should be! Or her! Let's make it a boy since I already had Speck of Light who's my daughter, but genders didn't exist back then. You know it's weird that she's the girl and the lil' dark prince is the guy because she's the one who went inside him and exploded inside him which resulted in birth. But I guess since they had the big bang that way, it's only fair that it's the only way around, right?"_

 _"Are you sure we're prepared to have a baby?" The concerned man questioned._

 _"Mmmm! I can just brainwash some homeless people to act as the maids and stuff. At least they get a meal, and you can trust them because they're under my control. I'M TRUSTWORTHY?!" She questioned to herself because she wasn't sure if she was good or bad in this realm. The Harsh Darkness was making it difficult to concentrate._

 _Phoenix made it easier, "I know a good nanny website, and I guess fatherhood can be fun. Cards are made for children, so our child can be a great a great inspiration. But one of my great concerns is that he may obtain some of your craziness."_

 _"PFFT! Ha! No! I'm insane because I see multiple worlds at once, and I lived over a billion years to get ahold of it! Our child will be like you with your one eyeness! But with wicked powers!"_

 _"Better get super power baby proof supplies then." The man joked. "_ _I think Aster would be a good name for the baby." The drawer suggested as he changed their locations from his seat in front of the easel to the bed._

 _"Aster? Oooh! Like that flower! It's a nice purple or blue with that yellow in the middle, and you know you could totally have sex with flowers. It's also pink and red. It's perfect! Come on Aster! Fertilize into mommy! Make me less attractive and crazier than before!"_

 _"Aster actually means 'star' from the Greek word 'Asteri'."_

 _"Star? Oh baby, I love ya!"_

 _The man above her chuckled at her cute craziness. "I love you, too, my crazy light."_

 _And thus that was how Aster was conceived and got his name._

._._._.

 **Episode 62-79**

"I can't believe he did it!" A voice with an Indian accent yelled angrily.

"You can't blame him. It's hard feeling helpless to your friends while having a strong family. Being the weak one as both a person and a duelist must've taken a toll on his pride." A woman with a deeper, relaxed voice said.

Then there was the purr of a cat, "The Light has a twisted joy of controlling lives, but in these current days, she does things to push people to become stronger and better. You can't get anywhere big in life without having a cut throat personality."

"How is this supposed to help, Chazz though?!" The Indian questioned with a concerned motherly voice.

The cat answered, "It's to help him balance his priorities over the light and darkness inside him. He's been imbalanced since the war that he doesn't know how to be at harmony."

"I still find it disconcerting of what he's being made to do."

"It's not that bad." The relaxed voice said. "He's just being made to do that see-in-the-future-guy's bidding to duel people, find duelists to beat Jaden, deliver messages, and transport people. I made my servants do the same thing."

The Indian woman who had gone through life without depending on her royal status deadpanned, "So you did have the potential to be a tyrant."

"I was a good princess! If anyone's the one with ill intentions, it's the pussy cat!"

"Meoooow."

"See! It has the hypnotizing eyes that'll make anyone do her bidding! Cats are the devil's pets!"

"Then you must be the devil. I know it was you who convinced Chazz to drop whipped cream mixed with black pepper on the principal as if an army of birds literally took a shit on top of him. DON'T LAUGH!"

"Hey! That principal had what was coming to him! Anyway, it looks like Chazz is in Domino City."

"Purr. You mean brainwashed Chazz. Our Chazz is right here watching with us with a brain-dead look."

"Can he hear us?"

"Nope! Otherwise he would've reacted to that totally embarrassing time at Halloween when he tri-"

"Let's not remember that. I am embarrassed for him."

"Zzzz."

"Oh! It looks like we're finally meeting Sartorius sister. I got to say this whole thing is playing like a movie."

"A goofy mystery horror thriller from our end. The Light has been letting us know that she let Jaden starved and lost for days until the cards arrived. She put Zane into the dueling underworld where his life is put in danger. With how those devices work, he could die within a year or two if he doesn't get proper medical care. And with his friends-"

"They'll pull through. Meow. The Light doesn't destroy without creating something in return. Jaden and Zane is becoming more powerful. Though Zane is going through a deadly path, the answer to that problem is obvious, yet he isn't the person who can see the answer, and without a doubt, it's Syrus who is evolving more as we speak. It won't happen soon, but the cards hold their own destiny, and they know when it is the right time to be in the possession of their true owner. Alexis' possession will give the Rhodes siblings a stronger bond now that they understand why the other acts the way they do. Bastion...Well, Bastion will have his calling. Duel Academy is holding his immense potential back."

"The Light is damn crazy, but she's not a psychopath. She is a sociopath though, which means she has little empathy for people, but she might actually be able to create strong connections to certain people, but it's not with the love we're used to feeling. Plus, she doesn't like doing simple things. She needs to have things done in the extreme to feel the adrenaline rush."

"True. Nothing we say will condone her past actions, but when you truly take things into perspective, at the beginning, she was just a curious being who was vilified to be the villain by foreseers who interpreted their visions without thinking of the consequences of their actions. So in that way, this chaotic world created her."

"Would she really any different from now? She's crazy from her multi-dimensional awareness, and she gets off on destruction because it gives her a rush. She's only toned down now because enough years passed by to get her to calm down."

"Is there really a point in thinking about that?" The cat questioned. "You'll only come up with theories, which is a waste of time. For now, the Light has proven to be a valuable asset, and just as we had agreed in the past, if she did anything we all can't condone, like burning down a busy children's hospital, then we'll step in."

"Can we ever step out again?"

Jun, Jaswinder and Xiaoling looked at each other.

"..."

Suddenly, their Chazz stood up and walked toward screen that they hadn't been paying attention to. Their eyes widened at the sight of a familiar woman with blue-violet hair that had grown out of its bob and into a long hair that was put into a fishtail braid. A bindhi was above the loveliest aquamarine eyes that had matured with age.

 _Song: Forgive Me - Evanescence_

The brainwashed Chazz was standing in the middle of the sidewalk where he had been taking his walks since he had finished doing his orders for Sartorius. A twenty-year-old Levy was just finished eating her lunch, and was going back to Kaiba Corporation to do her job, but the wheels of her wheelchair stopped when she encountered Chazz. She hadn't seen her since the war, and only took glimpses of the photo that had the two of them smiling with Jaden in front of Kaiba Land.

The memories of the war flooded her mind of how Yubel took over her body, and left Chazz in a state of utter misery. She had been told by Critias, Timaeus, and Hermos about how Chazz's heart was healing, and little bits of her memories were coming back to her. Levy's heart froze at the thought of Chazz remembering the horror they went through now that their company collided like this.

Chazz stared at Levy who looked like she turned into a breathless stone. Anything could happen at that moment, and the anticipation made it feel like years had passed by between them.

"You..." Chazz started. Levy's chest seized up for what's about to come. "..." The standing interboy bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Chazz..."

"I...don't know who you are, but it's okay. Don't look so petrified." Chazz cupped her face. She could see her childhood friend was not completely present by some supernatural brainwashing that had the Light involved no doubt. Thus, the ravenet must be acting from her subconsciousness, while her body spoke as if he was a messenger, "For some reason, my heart feels so much joy when I look at you, which confuses me, and it's also telling me to forgive you for something. And that it loves you, and misses you. I don't know why, and I should get going to Sartorius. Sorry for wasting both our times." Chazz let go of his face, and walked away as if it was nothing.

The three women speaking earlier watched their Chazz walked back to his spot and sat down. However, he appeared to be a little bit more aware of what was happening. Just a little.

Timaeus, who currently acted as Levy's caretaker, saw what happened. Though it was a short reunion, Chazz's words left an impact on Levy's conscience and heart. Levy, who had been trying to bear with the guilt of Chazz's misery, felt a few boulders rise from her shoulders. Though Levy still couldn't forgive herself, just knowing that Chazz did love her deep down again made the world around her a little more brighter and colorful.

He helped pushed her to the Kaiba Corporation while rubbing back as she sobbed.

Back at the KC building, Seto Kaiba watched the duel between Aster Phoenix and Jaden Yuki against Sarina. With his dragon abilities, he could see Aster's...unique aura.

The Light was watching it with him with a huge grin on her face. "Isn't it adorable! My son and the lil' dark prince working together!"

"It only makes me question of what you are hoping to truly gain from this. I am informed that Phoenix's father was murdered for a card that's been rumored to have been used in the underground world of dueling. The results of those battles being devastating." His piercing blue eyes tried to see through her, but the fellow sociopath was able to hide her true motives.

She only gave a smooth, "Let's just say that karma is a bitch, and I'm karma."

._._._.

 _Eight Years Ago_

 _"Ooh! You drew destiny heroes for Aster!" The Light's eyes sparkled at the sight of Captain Tenacious and Diamond Dude drawn on the sketch book. She was currently with Phoenix and Aster at their home. She turned a page, and she was absolutely lit! "You even added Phoenix Enforcer!"_

 _"Yeah!" Aster cried out excitedly! "Dad's going to make a deck of cards just for me! The destiny heroes!"_

 _"Oooh! Wait, but what about Destiny hero Plasma?"_

 _"Plasma?"_

 _"Yeah! The most vicious and deadliest of the destiny heroes! It can only be special summoned by tributing 3 monsters, and when its on the field, it can negate all the effects of all the face-up monsters. NOT ONLY THAT!" She grabbed her son's collar to theatrically look him in the eyes like a mad man. "But it can absorb your opponent's monster, steal all of its abilities, and take half of it's attack points!"_

 _"Coooooool! With a hero like that, I would be unstoppable! Why aren't you making it, daddy?"_

 _"Uhm..." Phoenix hummed as he thought of an excuse. "Well, you see, it has a very difficult design, and you're too young to hold such a dangerous card, and..."_

 _The Light and Aster looked at him with similar disapproval expressions. They glanced at each other, and nodded with sly smirks. With a press of a remote button, the lights turned off._

 _"Hey wait! I have-WHOA!" The lights turned on, and Mr. Phoenix found himself tied upside down with a piece of pie beneath him._

 _The Light was holding up his body while Aster was making sure the pie was positioned correctly. "Just know I'm doing this out of love, daddy." His eight-year-old son told him._

 _"Heh heh. I know, Aster, but when you get married, please don't treat them like your mother treats me."_

 _Song: She's so mean - Matchbox 20_

 _"Oh please! Our son is going to marry a fortune teller with purple eyes and owl-like hair! Right honey!"_

 _"Uhm, yeah, right, mom." Aster was fully aware that his mom had a few screws loose, but it didn't stop him from loving her. She was fully aware of that, too, and she didn't want her little boy to adopt her sickening ways, so she only popped up every few months or so, and always came like a fiesta._

 _Mr. Phoenix adored her for her capability to understand Aster's needs, even as his face plunged into a banana cream pie, and the two began pretending that they were mobsters._

 _After they had their fun, they went out to play at an amusement park, and then went back home to watch a scary movie where the Light laughed at all the horrifying moments, which made it easier for Aster to watch. Especially when she pointed out the stupid decisions and bad special effects that were happening._

 _After a full day of fun. She tucked Aster into bed, and then went out into the balcony to stand on its railings. She took in the chilling air, and gravity._

 _"So how is Chazz?" Her husband asked with two mugs of hot cocoa in his hands. "Does your second family still not know about us?"_

 _"And ruin the great fantastic surprise when I tell them I have a love life and family with an amazing husband and son?! How could I?! I'll tell them when my daughter and her lil' dark prince get married or maybe even SOONER or LATER! When you guys come in, they'll totally think you're brainwashed or something, but when Aster shows his super powers, my beautiful speck of Light will discover that she has a great grand-brother!"_

 _"Great grand-brother?"_

 _"You guys were created by my first grandchild, but Aster is half of me, so he's BOTH a descendant and a brother! Some serious scifi medieval stuff, amirite?!" She then turned on her feet to stand on the rails sideways, and picked her husband's chin up to look at her huge grin. She flexibly bent down to get her own mug. "So why aren't you making a Plasma card? Are you still upset that I killed your uncle. It was his wife who wanted him dead."_

 _Her husband gave her a lopsided smile. "Not about that, and uncle Harry Phoenix did deserve what you gave him after all the abuse and dirty jobs he was doing for the black market. The real reason is that to make a card like Plasma, it would be like Pegasus creating the Egyptian God cards. A card filled with immense power that if it were put in the wrong hands, lives would be devastated. Aster may have the power to control it, but he's still too young."_

 _"Aw! I've fallen in love again!" She threw the mug to the side, and kicked his off, and pushed him down onto the floor. "Let's make another baby! I-"_ _The Light paused, and then whipped her head a full one-eighty degrees without turning the rest of her body. "She's gone? SHE'S GONE?! HARSH DARKNESS, YOU BASTARD?!"_

 _She took on her true form, and rocketed into the sky._

 _"Dad?!" Aster heard his mother's roar, and came out to the balcony to see what was happening. Suddenly the world began to shake and the sky began to crack apart. "Dad!" Aster held onto his father as buildings began to crumble. When the balcony was about to fall apart, Aster's body glowed a bright light that protected them from the world's destruction, and its rewind by a crimson dragon._

 _After it was all done, Aster's light dimmed down, and he fell into his father's arms unconscious._

 _"Aster, you...You did it, and your mom..." He looked up at the sky, and he couldn't feel her powerful presence anymore. "Light..."_

._._._.

 **Episode 80-88**

 _Song: Come Back Home - 2NE1 covered by Mikutan_

Coming back to Duel Academy, Chazz didn't think much about the trip to Domino City. He just went back to the dorm, enjoyed some food, heard the usual preaches about the Light and Sartorius, and then went to sleep. Days passed like a blur since Sartorius hadn't needed him for anything, and accompanying Alexis was getting dull. He didn't know why he wanted her at his side in the first place. He couldn't remember why he joined the society in the first place.

Later, Bastion appeared wanting to join the society to be noticed. At first, Bastion thought nothing of the society since he had called Vivian the moment Chazz began talking about the Society of Light. She told him that something big and for the most part harmless was going on, and that he should let things play out with Jaden saving the day since only he had the power to end this. He trusted her words, but that led him to believing it was okay to join the Society, so he could prove that he was a good duelist. He just couldn't stand being ignored anymore.

Sartorius had Chazz duel him, and the white student nearly lost. Possessed Alexis blamed it on his Ojamas, so he let them go into the wind. He didn't know why he kept those three stooges around, but as they flew away, a part of him wanted to get them back, but his light self told him not to if he wanted to be stronger.

He wanted to be stronger right? Why though?

When he went back to his room, the silence smothered him. The clean smell was like pollen to his nose. There was no one but him in the room. He looked at his cards that Sartorius made even powerful, but they were nothing but lifeless dolls in his eyes.

He was strong, but he got a feeling that this wasn't what he was asking for.

Soon, Chancellor Sheppard appeared, and announced the Genex tournament, which allowed students and pros to duel together.

Chazz took down duelists easily with his powerful cards, but the more he dueled, the more he felt agitated by how unsatisfying it felt. He couldn't help thinking about the Ojama cards, and he began questioning his position in the Society. He was honestly feeling sicker and sicker to his stomach the more he basked in all this light nonsense. When he saw Jaden, he thought he found the right challenge to fill his emptiness. They hadn't dueled for a year, and it was about time they had their rematch! However, Jaden came with his deck filled with the Ojama trio, and his black jacket in hand. Chazz swore he was a loyal member of thee Society, but he felt a great urge to wear that black jacket. And when Jaden played Ojama Yellow, he felt the urge to take the cards back.

A part of him said no, and another said yes. He felt his heart and mind being torn apart inside him, but he forced himself just to focus on the duel. A part told him that Jaden was just mocking him! But another said that Jaden was right. Sartorius got him by preying on his weakness. He believed he joined on his own terms, but the memory wasn't coming back to him entirely.

Who was he really? Why did he do this in the first place? Nothing made absolute sense.

The Light was having a lot of fun watching from where she stood. Those Ojamas sure were a comedic classic! And Chazz was so cute by how he acted all jealous over them, but cold and crazy as well! She outright laughed when Jaden called him out as a slob! Ad how the lil' dark prince told those Ojamas to remember the good times. They did have some good times, but that usually involved the other duel spirits. If it's just the four of them, Chazz would do some really shitty things to just them. But above all that, WHAT makes Chazz break free? A SOY SAUCE STAIN on his sleeve.

Chazz began realizing the flaws with Sartorius rule where he was trying to create a uniformed army, but Chazz wasn't going to have it! He went through HELL to accept his own uniqueness, and that black jacket that smelled like raw fish was his pride and joy that demonstrated exactly who he was! A person who was both a being of light and darkness who won't wear anything but black and other dark colors since it'll hide the dirt, and show off his North Academy pride and lone wolf status! He'll wear white and lighter colors if he had to, though.

Now that he came to his senses, the only thing he remembered was Sartorius beating him, and then he forgot everything, including what had been happening during his duel with Jaden which led Chazz to believe the slacker idiot stole his cards! Like the loving owner he was, he took them back, and the Ojamas pretended that Jaden did steal them and threatened them with violence to join him, so Chazz wouldn't see them as betrayers, but as his beloved cards who was only loyal to him.

Jaden was ticked off at being thrown under the bus that he showed his not nice side to the Ojamas while Chazz was being nice to them and called them his 'Aces'. He came to an understanding during that duel that he wasn't dueling Jaden, but the person who was possessed, and the only way to permanently rid of him was by destroying the knight card that Sartorius gave him with his Ojamas! With guys like these, who needs the light or the friends who left him! He was never discarding these guys away again! They were all he really needed in the end at Duel academy!

At the end of the duel, Jaden won, but he didn't take his medal since he didn't count the duel. Chazz felt his heart throb painfully, but it didn't hurt so much as it did before. It was smothered by his happiness and pride at overcoming his weakness and finally accepting himself as the true, stronger Chazz with his duel spirits at his side. He got up to leave, but then he saw Alexis and Bastion dressed in white. He quickly confabulated his missing memories into believing that Sartorius used his love for Alexis to join him. He vowed to rescue her until she was ready to duel! The Ojamas said nothing since they loved their imperfect Chazz.

He soon returned to his Slifer room, and went over to the desk that held the cards of his other duel spirits who surrounded him. They were quiet since they knew he had something to say to them. Their owner took a deep breath first, before starting, "I..." He looked down, unable to look them in the eye after what he did. He gritted his teeth, and forced himself to spill it out, "Look! I'm sorry for ditching you guys like nothing after Sartorius got me to join his stupid club! If I could get a do-over, trust me I would! But...yeah, so...I get if you you want out of my deck and into someone else's who is better than me. I-"

"Oh boss." Meanae interrupted to reassure him, "We could never abandon you!"

"Yes!" Unhappy maiden nodded in agreement. "You were not yourself, and we're all happy that you're back, and feeling a lot better."

"No matter how many times you throw us away!" Ojama Yellow started!

"We'll always come back to you!" Ojama Black declared!

"That's right!" Ojama Green confirmed with a power posed nod!

Then everyone said all at once, "Because you're our Chazz!"

"You're a slob!"

"You're a jerk sometimes!"

"You sleep around like it's nobodies business!"

"You're down right spoiled!"

"But we love all of that about you, too!"

"So let's give our Chazz a welcome home by giving the Chazz cheer!"

"CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!"

Chazz felt moved by their kindness that it reminded him about how Jaden left without a word and how Zane still hadn't contacted him. He didn't have the perfect friends, but he had the best duel spirits! And that was all he really needed!

The Light watched as they celebrated with a party that Chazz actually joined in for once. She could sense both the light and darkness in Chazz's soul coming to a balance inside him which made his glass piece shine a bit brighter in the growing darkness.

._._._.

 _Sixteen Years Ago_

 _Song: In My Arms - Plumb_

 _The Light and her husband stared down at their baby boy at the top of a cliff. Little Aster was born with grey hair and blue eyes just like his father, but the Light's genes lighten the color and the masculinity that she was sure he will grow up and look boyishly charming. She had seen her daughter reborn and other babies being born many times before, but this time it was tremendously different. She spent a good nine hours trying to push this baby out of her human female vagina. She had the power to make it easier, but she wanted to be dramatic, and looking at Phoenix's angry and concerned expressions were hilarious!_

 _Now, she was enjoying the sight of her own living creation filled with so much promise for greatness and destruction. She felt herself well up at the idea of how many people this little boy was going to save or kill in the name of his own ego or peace._

 _The birth happened in Africa by her demand just so she could do this: She created pride rock from Lion King where she gave birth in the cave with tamed lions around them. She also dressed up a baboon to look like Rafiki, and trained it and the other African animals to come to the place before dawn after her birth. Aster was born without any problems since he was practically a demi-god. She played the music which cued the Rafiki looking baboon to smear Aster's forehead with red paint, throw dust on his hair, and then it took the baby to hold it up to the sky. All the animals went wild and then bowed when the light shined on her baby._

 _"THE CIRCLE OF LIIIIIIIIFE!"_

 _"Was this really necessary?" The tired father asked._

 _"You just know how much I love cliche's and fairy tales!" She nuzzled against him like a lion would, and he kissed this crazy woman's forehead._

 _"Lion King isn't a fairy tale."_

 _"Rrrrr!" She playfully growled as the baboon returned their child, and hurried the hell out of there. It was done with her._

._._._.

 **Episode 89-91**

Chazz woke up the next morning and went to have breakfast. He insulted everything that came his way like usual, which made Jaden announce that the Slifer dorm was back together again! Chazz ignored him, and noticed Syrus' downcast mood. It turned out that Zane was arrived at Duel Academy. Chazz had been catching up on the last four months that he missed in the dueling world and around duel academy through his duel spirits. He wasn't surprised that Zane turned into some dark bad boy. He practically saw it coming before anyone else did.

However, it made him think about his friendship with Zane, and the unanswered calls and messages. They haven't contacted each other at all during those four months, that he didn't know if they were still friends or not. The only thing Chazz was sure about was the he needed Zane more than Zane needed him, so if Zane wanted to end their friendship, Chazz figured it was best to just let that happen. He was taught by Yugi and Joey and the others that friends should stick together and not abandon each other no matter how hard the situation was, but Chazz did not gain friends the way Yugi did. The King of Games got them through a wish, and of course, he got the best ones suited for him. Chazz got his friends through pity or compassion or through Jaden. It wasn't the same, so what he was taught was perhaps not the best to apply in this situation.

Zane wasn't any of them after all. Seto Kaiba was a close comparison, but Mr. Kaiba wasn't friends with any of them. Yugi was a rival. Joey was his lover. Noe was his sister-in-law. Chazz was none of those things nor did he think himself capable of being any of them. She wasn't in love with Zane nor had any feelings for Syrus. Becoming his rival was the most likely, but Jaden already filled that spot and Chazz had yet to defeat that slacker.

What was she to Zane? A helpless victim who he came to rescue from time to time like a knight saving his princess...Okay that was a weird comparison that made Chazz feel like she just came down to a realization halfway, but she ignored it since it didn't feel like a good realization. She busied herself by dueling. She bumped into Bastion who was spouting some nonsense about trying to get Sartorius' attention, and wow, Chazz felt sorry for him by how bad the genius' bleached hair looked on him. She could bring her only true friend at this school out of this, but she didn't think that she could provide the emotional support and attention that the genius needed. Since things worked out for her, Chazz figured that things could work out for Bastion on his own terms, so the dancer left the poor fool to his brainwashed mind.

She was able to take down a few students and pros with her ojama deck, which felt so good! Chazz was back, and no one was going to brainwash her again! As she went off to find her next victim, she thought she saw Zane passing by. She didn't know why, but her body did a flight response at the sight of him. She then used her powers to know where he was, so she could avoid him. Chazz knew their friendship was going to end, and her thoughts were confirmed when Jaden and the others told her over dinner about the duel between Atticus and him.

Atticus told Syrus that Zane was in the darkness but he was still in control of himself, but Syrus refused to believe that because that meant that the new Zane was good to stay. It still meant that the dark bad boy on television wasn't an act after all. Zane truly did change, and Chazz felt like it was both for better and for worse. Much like a real marriage, and Chazz felt like the unwanted homewrecker. She also couldn't help noticing how Atticus seemed to distance himself from her. She wanted to ask about it, but when she encountered him, he quickly disregarded her politely, which obviously meant that she wasn't wanted. She heard from around her that she was the one responsible for everything including Alexis' brainwash. But there was no way that could be true! She'd never harm the one she loved! She ignored everyone and continued dueling until it got late.

The next day, the ravenet continued to avoid both Zane and Bastion and even Atticus, but that led her to be around Jaden and Syrus who wanted to spend time with her while looking for victims. They saw some weird duels involving Tarzan, a number freak, a stoner, and an Elvis Presley Hawaiian version. The best duel of that day was when they caught Alexis put herself into the duel between her pathetic friends and some waiter guy. Chazz could easily tell that she was also trying to fight her possession by the Society of Light when she obviously drew the white veil card and discarded it. The love fool was glad to know that there was hope that Alexis was coming out of it.

Then one night, she and the annoying squad found Lucien Grimley who was a former North Academy student. Though he was a former student, Chazz felt partially responsible for him, so he had the Reaper locked away with his Ojamas watching over it while he slept. Though, Chazz should've known that they couldn't stop them, but Jaden saved the day again, and helped Grimley restore his faith in himself and his deck. They returned him to the nurse's office since he needed his rest.

Chazz took the Reaper card away from him, and called Foster to come and get it since such a dangerous card shouldn't be mailed. Foster was currently busy with handling the exams, which coincidentally took place the day before the beginning of the Genex tournament. That explained why Chazz hadn't seen any North Academy students around yet, but the top fifty would arrive the day after tomorrow, and try their luck with the pros, too.

After the call, Chazz figured that the best way to make sure a duelist didn't form a deal with it again was to try to seal the Reaper in the card for good. She went to her room, and began concentrating. Yet, the Reaper appeared and said, "You are the Speck of Light. The Sacrifice of Creation. I am humbled to meet you."

"Speck of what now?" Chazz didn't remember ever giving herself that title, and this politeness was weird.

It also slightly annoyed her when the deadly spirit spoke as if he knew something that she didn't. "So your memories have not returned completely, but you have regained your power that will lock me away."

"Uh, yeah! You were trying to take a guy's soul! And North Academy is a very important place to me, so I can't let you hurt anyone there ever again, so bye bye."

The Reaper nodded. "Understood."

"What?" Chazz was off-put by its easy surrender. "You're giving in just like that? I was expecting a Darth Vader 'No!' or something. Why are you so easy to concede all of a sudden."

"Make no mistake, Chazz Princeton. I do not wish to be locked away forever, but your power is far more formidable than you could ever believe. You could wipe away my spirit if it pleased you in the slightest."

Chazz scrunched her nose in disgust at the thought, and was offended to be seen in such a way. "Don't look down on me. I won't kill you. You're the Grim Reaper. Being evil and taking souls is what you do, and Grimley was the one who was digging his own grave in the first place. But I don't want any North Academy idiot being in danger because of you, so I have to lock you away. Unfair, I know, but if I was put in a situation where I had to choose between one person and a hundred, I'd drown the one unless the hundreds are a bunch of sick bastards. Fine with that?" Chazz answered as if trying to provoke a challenge.

But the Reaper nodded again. "I expect nothing more from my queen."

"Queen?" Chazz liked the title, but this was a random moment to call her that.

The duel spirit explained, "You don't know this now, Chazz Princeton, but you are destined to be queen someday. Queen of the spirits."

"Queen of the Spirits? What do you mean by that?"

"You'll know once all of your memories returned."

Chazz wanted answers now, but apparently they were within her, so she had to deal with it. "If that's how you want to put it, then fine. Say hello to a hundred years of being sealed away. You better hope you have some interesting games or internet connection in there if you don't want to be bored out of your skull. Want me to put you to sleep or something? I think I can do that sort of thing." Chazz knew that she was being a little too polite to an evil spirit, but being stuck in a dark place for all eternity in boredom sounded too harsh of a punishment to someone just doing their job.

The Reaper chuckled maniacally. "It's a given that you are loved by all spirits, my queen. Alright, please put me to eternal sleep."

The duelist felt like correcting the guy at the fact that she didn't consider herself loved by all spirits. That seemed more up Jaden's alley. She just kept quiet, and used her powers to lock the Reaper's soul by having chains made of purple light wrap around it and then fade out. She next sprinkled a blue glittery light to put the Reaper to sleep. Then lastly, she put it back into its case.

She got comfortable in her bed, and thought on the Reaper's words. "Queen of Spirits..." It sounded like a fairytale title, and King of Games sounded more awesome. "As far as I'm aware, I'm my own kingdom. G'night."

Inside him, Jun asked her reincarnations, "Queen of spirits? We were a queen?"

Jaswinder answered, "We were close to practically thousands if not millions of monster spirits. Nearly all monsters throughout the twelve dimensions loved you in both person and legend. I was pretty popular with them on Earth, and Xiaoling was a well beloved cat or person since some were either allergic to cats or humans."

Xiaoling purred, "All I'm interested in is knowing when our Chazz will face Zane."

Jun grimaced, "I'm not! Ryo and I have a strong bond even when we're apart! And she was always kind!...Do you think that she really is that kind of person beneath all that?"

Jaswinder pointed out, "We're always born differently. You were born wild while I was born tame. And Xiaoling is...unorthodox."

"Meoooow."

"And Chazz is in between the two of us, and he's been taught about friendship. I'm sure things will work out between them."

._._._.

 **Episode 92-94**

 _Song: Not About Angels - Birdy from The Fault In Our Stars_

"Zane wait!" Atticus called out to his once dear friend in the middle of the woods. He may have lost the duel, but knowing that Zane was still in control meant that they could at least talk things through to the end. They went through so much throughout their Academy years. He wasn't going to let it all go after one lost. "Okay, I get it that this is the new you, and I can be difficult to deal with, but what about Syrus, Alexis, Chazz, or maybe even Jaden!? You must still care about them!"

The new, darker version of Zane was getting pretty annoyed. HE DIDN'T CARE DAMMIT! Ever since he was exposed to the underground duels, he realized that in order to never become afraid to duel again was to give in to his rage which led him to begin abandoning the love he once had for others. Dueling was his life, and to become a coward holding a deck was beyond degrading for him that he couldn't return there. And in a way, he liked it. With the strength he possessed now, why would he ever want to return back to the joke he was!

"Are you done?" He finally gave in to stop and look at the annoying, aspired pop star. Zane had no idea why he ever became friends with such a flippant and poor excuse of a duelist. "I don't care about any of those people. From my experience, I've learned that everyone is just worthless maggots to me!"

Atticus wished Zane was possessed by the darkness because what he was saying did not match at all with who he was less than than even half a year ago. "You can't be serious! You sacrificed your life for Syrus! You were always there for Alexis when I was gone, and isn't Chazz your princess? You did tell me last year that you were his knight, didn't you!" He tried to make his best friend remember.

But Zane cruelly chuckled as he did. "That was when I pitied the weak, but now in my new world, the weak shouldn't be given a damn! They mean nothing to me! Now if you don't want another beat down, you best leave me to find my next opponent."

"Zane..." Atticus felt like he lost, but then remembered a certain event last year that angered him. "So what?! You beat me up last year for nothing! You did that because of what I said to Chazz, didn't you! You never lost your cool before that! You can't tell me that you lost all feeling in there!"

"Oh trust me. The only thing I feel is anguish and satisfaction from my duels. Oh, and don't talk to me about feelings. Your own feelings for Chazz was fabricated out of your own insecurities just like him!"

"Fabricated? What do you mean?" Atticus' brows furrowed in confusion. He did have feelings for Chazz, but after what he did to Alexis, he wasn't sure of how to feel.

Zane knew that he was going to stepping on a boundary here, but he didn't care. As long as it got Atticus to shut up and leave him alone, that was enough. "I meant your so-called 'love'. You don't love Chazz! You just want to use him to make yourself feel better because he treated you 'special'. It really does help to be treated that way after being possessed by Nightshroud for a year. Hell, Chazz is even worse!" Now, he was stepping out of boundary, and he knew it, but he was in such a rush to trash talk to this worthless person just so he could leave him alone because HE JUST DIDN'T CARE. "That pathetic worm just couldn't handle the trauma of being kidnapped from Banner! While you and Alexis were peacefully asleep, Chazz was wide awake, and left alone crying for help in space, but no one to hear him. If Jaden hadn't saved him, then he'd probably have stayed a prisoner, feeling his body give in to an agonizing death without anyone ever finding him again or knowing of his suffering while you two slept through it like babies. That feeling of absolute loneliness and helplessness. Heh heh. It was too much for him that he tricked himself into falling in love with Alexis just to soften his experience." The insane pro-duelist was smirking wickedly as if he was enjoying the thought of Chazz's misery. "When you put it like that, you two do make the perfect hopeless match. Just watch out when Chazz decided to commit suicide." Those words slipped out, and now Zane knew he was truly out of bounds, but he kept telling him that HE JUST DIDN'T CARE.

Atticus' eyes widen at the blatant disregard that Zane had for his dark words. "Suicide? What are you talking about?"

"What can I say?" The memories of a broken Chazz and the Chazz who was slowly healing flashed through his mind, but he stifled the emotions that came with it. "Chazz is screwed up in the head." That was all he said before leaving.

Atticus wasn't sure of how to take that. All he could really wrap around his head was that Zane might be a lost case after all, and that he wasn't in love with Chazz and Chazz wasn't in love with Alexis. Fabrications...Were they just fooling themselves just to soften their traumatic experience? The obelisk wondered deeply about this that he was surprised to find himself out of the forest and near the docks, where it looked like Pegasus just had a duel with Crowler and Bonaparte. Chancellor Sheppard, Jaden, Hassleberry, Syrus, and Chazz was there, too. He walked away before he was noticed. He needed to think through what he was told by Zane, and whether he wanted to believe it or not.

But then, that thought had to wait when he spotted Alexis. He couldn't be sidetracked by what Zane said when his sister needed him. He was glad when she challenged Jaden to a duel. Jaden was able to break through to Chazz with nostalgia, so he had the perfect card to set her free! Chazz came along saying that he was the one who could get through to Alexis with his love, and everyone believed that he played the amnesia game of not remembering that he was the one who brainwashed her. Chazz just couldn't believe it, but if Atticus said it was true, then it must be. It hurt him when Atticus told him to just go home, but he really wanted to help. He truly believed that he was in love with Alexis.

Atticus wondered if that was true. Chazz acted like a virgin in love when at truth, he had half the number of one night stands as Atticus had. The younger teen also acted stranger than Atticus, but was that a sign of hiding something darker. Chazz always aimed to make himself shine brighter, and that always led to darker shadows. He would know since he was aware that he was a lot more upbeat than he used to be, and that was just to not show that he was haunted by the darkness.

Thinking back on what Zane said, the brunet never saw any scars on Chazz's wrists or other parts of his body that he saw. He wondered if Zane was just messing with him. He wondered if he was just overthinking things, and Chazz acted like a regular teenager discovering hormones and stuff which would make any teen act socially awkward.

He ignored those thoughts when Alexis and Jaden's duel came up. Jaden started with Chazz's card, and it came with an incredibly ridiculous poem that made Atticus remembered why he loved Chazz in the first place, but it wasn't in a romantic sense. Atticus guessed Zane was right about him falling for Chazz out of necessity instead of desire.

Then throughout the duel, both of them tried to reach out to her with a mixture of them pointing the fingers at each other cutely, him crying, and Chazz choking Hassleberry. That was the last time the dinosaur enthusiast was ever going to sit in front of him. Chazz also had the nerve to call his sister 'baby' which he would normally never condone, and would make those guys disappear, but he let this one slide since he was fond of him. At the end of the duel, Chazz was afraid of what Alexis would do to him when she will remember that it was him who brainwashed her in the first place.

Atticus was just glad that his sister was back, that he just wanted to spend the whole day with her. She looked a little off-put by his extra exuberance with her, but she guessed it was only natural after she was told that over three months had passed since she was brainwashed. She was shocked and angry at having been essentially made to become a cult member and dog by Sartorius, but she couldn't remember how. All of her memories were very fuzzy. Atticus let them remain fuzzy for awhile, and made her avoid Zane since it was too soon for her to become even more angry and disappointed. For now, he helped her overcome her high, bitter emotions since he understood what she went through. The Rhodes siblings became closer just as the Light planned. She got to scar them and put them through emotional turmoil, and they get a stronger relationship! That's a fair trade, right!

The next day, Chazz wanted to talk to Alexis, so he went towards the female obelisk dorm, which wasn't touched by Sartorius. Atticus saw him coming, and thought on what Zane said more seriously. He just got his sister back, and she was getting back on track with her life again by making up with her friends Mindy and Jasmine. He didn't want her to face him yet. He also didn't want Chazz to be giving her false love anymore if he had been, so he went over to the former obelisk and told him to come with him first to somewhere private such as the inside of the abandoned dorm since everyone was everywhere else.

"Atticus? Please tell me that you aren't still made about what I did with Alexis. I swore that I don't remember a thing! And I was brainwashed, so-"

"I know." The charismatic man said with all seriousness to make Chazz understand what type of conversation that they were going to have. "You've been through a lot haven't you, Chazz. What with being kidnapped by Banner and being the only one awake throughout it. And now with having been brainwashed by Sartorius, which made you go against your friends. It was you who brainwashed both Alexis and Bastion. Our friends."

Chazz's expression drop to utter guilt and shame. "I...I know now, but-"

"You weren't aware of what you were doing, I know. I'm not blaming you, Chazz. I'm just pointing out that you have been through a lot, and that makes you feel vulnerable, so you want to attach yourself to someone to help soften what you've been through. Trust me, I know."

"What are you talking about?" Chazz got what he was saying, but he didn't understand where he was going with this.

Atticus sighed. He had to be honest. "When I was freed by Nightshroud, I was in a very tough situation with trying to get back to normal with emotions and senses put on high alert. I felt detached by the loneliness and helplessness I felt because nobody around me could ever understand what I've been through, but then there was you." Chazz didn't like where this was going, but the older teen wasn't stopping. "I fell in love with you last year, Chazz."

The younger teen's jaw drop slightly and eyes widened in disbelief. Atticus was in love with him?! So wait, those moments of affection, and-and that moment he thought their brotherhood was going to be sealed was actually Atticus confessing his romantic feelings for him?!

Atticus wasn't surprised by his utter shock. "I know it's hard to believe, but the real reason I said those hurtful words to you wasn't because I couldn't trust you with Alexis or I saw you as a younger brother. It's just that I felt like I poured out my heart to you. Left no secrets, and when I discovered that you had the kind of secret where you shared intimate moments with other people, I couldn't stop myself from turning furious. I came up with these stupid conclusions that you were a fake using me not as bad as Nightshroud did, but the thought of being used stopped me from seeing reason. I just hurt you out of spite. I'm sorry for that."

Chazz couldn't say a word. He wasn't sure if he had the breath to do so.

"I do still love you, Chazz, but not in the way I thought I did. And I think it's the same for you."

Chazz didn't want to hear it. His mind was reminding him of what happened to him when Banner kidnapped him. It reminded him of what he did after Atticus said those hurtful words. His powers had been unlocked since he tried to cure Jaden, and he steeled his emotions to keep it from going out of control again as the next words hit him like a meteorite.

"I don't know if you are or are not in love with Alexis, but the timing for you to fall for her was similar to mine. You couldn't stand what happened to you, so you pushed yourself to try to get romantically involved with my sister."

"No!" Chazz both demanded an pleaded in the background of his declaration, "That isn't true! I love her! I love Alexis! What happened made me realize that!"

"Did it?" Atticus inquired with a tone of doubt, that slammed softly yet heavily on Chazz's answer. "Or did you make it up? I can't answer that for you, but please think about it more seriously. Also, I've been meaning to ask, why did you join Sartorius in the first place?" The big brother was too focused on Alexis to have bothered to ask that question. Now seemed like a good time.

"It was because..." Chazz believed that it was out of the love that he had for Alexis, but when he was making the timeline in his head, it didn't flow through. "I-I don't know." He truly believed it was out of his love for Alexis, but that wasn't the truth. If it wasn't, then what else had he tricked himself into believing.

Atticus sighed again yet quietly through his nose. So Zane was right, and that worried him. "It's okay. You're under a lot of stress. It happens to a lot of teens, but please don't go as far as to hurt yourself."

Chazz froze.

He caught that. He caught the tone of those words he said at the end. Atticus knew something, and the way his body moved to hug him out of comfort and a slight bit of control to keep him safe made him back away. "What do you mean to not hurt myself? Why did you say it like that?"

"What?"

"Why did you say that?" Chazz questioned furiously as if he had been violated. "Why would you tell me not to do that unless you know the truth?!"

Atticus was caught off guard by Chazz's sudden rage. He tried to control the situation, "That doesn't ma-"

"Don't tell me it doesn't matter! Of course, it matters! The only people who know on this island is Zane and Bastion, and Bastion is a case of pathetic right now, so it was Zane wasn't it!" Chazz heaved for air as his heart was being crushed. He trusted Zane with his secrets, and he told Atticus?! How could he betray him like that! He didn't want Atticus to know! He didn't want anyone else he loved to know how pathetic he was! "It wasn't his right to tell you! It wasn't!" Chazz felt the love in his heart contort itself and give him the instinct to grab a hold of Atticus's head, and then draw out a ball of colorful light.

 _"I only want the new people I've come to love only see the normal side of me!"_

Atticus' eyes went blank, and he fell down.

Chazz came down from his high, and stared in horror at what he did.

He felt goosebumps when someone went, "Oooh! You just took all of his memories, and now he's as stupid as a newborn brain-dead baby who know nothing but to eat, sleep, burp and piss." A twenty-two-year old woman with dark brown skin, green eyes, and natural flaxen hair approached them.

"Wha...Memories?" Chazz was too stunned to properly process the situation.

"Yup!" The woman squatted to inspect the brain-dead Atticus with an amused gaze. "You have the power to take someone's memories! It's part of your power to split things apart! You don't have your super-defusion card with you, no more, but you can at least split the little things like memories or souls but not permanently. You're going to have to find a jar for that."

That snapped Chazz out of his stupor. "I don't want to keep it! How do I put it back!"

The woman stood up, and asked with a tender, nonjudgmental, yet understanding voice, "Are you sure that you want to put it all back? He'll remember this. What you really want to do is extract the memories of Zane telling him the truth, and about this whole meeting."

Chazz was tempted at the idea. He looked down at the ball of light and expanded his hands to see it turn into a sphere around her in the form of an army of cards depicting tons of different memories. He saw the two cards he needed, but he hesitated.

"It's okay." This stranger told him with the smile of a mother. "You're only taking what was only your right to let others know, and you're practically being merciful because when people want to hide the leaked truth, they murder them. Not only is this merciful, but painless to not only to him but to you, too! Why make things more difficult? You two can remain friends who see each other everyday without any pity or concern in their eyes. Do you really want to risk your suicide attempts becoming public knowledge? He'll tell Alexis and then Alexis will tell Jaden who's practically friends with everyone on this island, and you'll be known as the suicide kid on the island. Don't you think you spared yourself enough humiliation. I bet that Zane guy is going to spread it around just to humiliate you when you finally enter the pros. He hadn't now, but..."

Ojama Yellow appeared to tell him that it was wrong to mess with someone's head. It was the same thing Sartorius was doing. Yet, that was a poor comparison. Chazz only wanted the knowledge involving him.

He stared at this woman. He should be asking this stranger questions, and using his powers to know the truth, but instead, he took in what she said, and felt the curdling fear on his back at the idea that people will look at him like a sorry case or use that knowledge during trash talks during duels.

'Suicide boy'

'It makes sense why you like to hang around cliffs'

'His medications should be taken away'

'Hey, I saw you alone, and I wanted to make sure you're okay', 'Are you sure you're fine?'

'Maybe you were better of dead, but I guess you were too chicken to die'

'Sorry, we can't hire you when you have the potential to be a liability'

Unable to handle going through his days of being pitied and ridiculed or even rejected by the fact, he took the two cards, and put the others back into Atticus' mind like a robot who was made to function this way with ease. He left to put the cards in a jar. All of his duel spirits witnessed this, and they weren't sure if he was entirely in the wrong for what he did. They weren't sure either when Chazz snuck up on Zane and Bastion to take their memories, yet leaving a few to keep them remembering that they were friends, but the truth of how and why wouldn't be clear.

Chazz looked down at the cards that held the truth in the opened jar. He couldn't risk them being returned, so he threw in a magically lit match inside, placed and tightened the lid, and watched the cards burn away into ashes without destroying the jar. He then flushed the ashes in the toilet. It felt degrading to do that, but it was the best place to hide them forever. No one will know the truth. No one outside of his family will ever know the truth.

 _Song: Secret - The Pierces from Pretty Little Liars_

._._._.

 _Seven Years Ago_

 _Song: I Love You - Kill Paris_

 _A nine-year-old Aster stood in front of the grave stone of his mother who apparently died by a plane crash, and her body hadn't been found._

 _"It's a tough thing, isn't it squirt." Right next to Aster was a fifteen-year-old dark brown teen with green eyes and natural flaxen hair. The two were holding hands as the child tried holding back the tears._

 _He leaned his head against the older man's hand. "I still miss her, and her crazy stunts. But when you came into my life a month after her death, it made it easier for me to move on. I miss mom a lot, but you remind me a lot about her, Langit, so whenever I'm with you, it still feels like she's here."_

 _The Light inwardly giggled at the irony. "Oh, really?!" She scooped up the big kid into he arms as if he was still a toddler. "Then let's ditch this empty grave, and celebrate to your mother's death by stuffing our faces with tons of junk food and playing pranks on people! So dry up those tears! Otherwise the monster who drinks children's tears will come after you! Num! Num!"_

 _"Hey! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Aster pushed himself away from the crazy teen's arms. He may be small, but he was more mature than people thought!_

 _"Really?" The Light grinned in her new reincarnated body. She darkened her voice as she playfully growled, "Then I guess your ready for the monster with saliva that'll melt your skin to become tender to eat like pot roast!"_

 _"Pot roast?! No!" Aster felt goosebumps, and ran away as he was chased around in the cemetery._

 _His father told them to be careful and respectful!_

 _After the visit that tired out the poor kid, the teenager and adult talked. "So you actually went ahead and got that Pegasus' permission to get Plasma made."_

 _"You can say I panicked when I couldn't tell that you were around anymore. I made it thinking you were killed off permanently from our lives, but I shouldn't have doubted that you always had a back up. It's strange though to see you so calm." The two of them have known each other for over two decades, and the Light was always flashy, speaking high and low, and doing something random._

 _The Light was still like that, but she was a lot more tamed. "You can say I'm finally coming off a high since the Harsh Darkness is gone, and I used up nearly all my multidimensional power during the war. I still exist in a few, but I have better control, so in some dimensions, I'm not doing anything at all, while others are playing around. Why? You think I'm boring now?"_

 _"Not at all! In fact, I was kind of hoping someday you'll be more like this, so you can spend more time with Aster. You really did help him get through your death."_

 _"Now, now, Phoenix, my love. I'm still a sociopath, but a powerless one at that since the power that was inside this body had to be used to save my second family who was stuck in another timeless dimensions. And it's sad that this body can't handle all my toxic light at once. Right now, I'm carefully absorbing it little by little, and getting this body to adapt to it. If you're going to make that card, Phoenix, I'm going to use it to store my energy in it if I feel that I've taken way too much too soon."_

 _"Sounds reasonable, but wouldn't that make the card more dangerous than it already is?"_

 _"ABSOLUTELY! But only if it lands in the hands of a person with an evil soul! If that happens for some stupid-ass reason, then the power inside that card will manifest its own personality, and revolve itself around that person's desires. You're a good guy with everything you could ever want, Phoenix, so it's okay if you or Aster holds it." She patted his shoulder in a congratulatory way. "Oh! And_ _as much as I love to spend all my time with Aster, I have my second family to think about. They'll need my wise knowledge and my great humor! But to get there, I actually have to ride planes since my powers are beyond low! It'll take a few more years before I can teleport to places and sense other energies."_

 _"Are you annoyed at being so human now?"_

 _"Hell no! This body was just going around killing assholes, getting money to kill those assholes, but now that my full conscience is in here, it's been so much fun that even having diarrhea is fun! All the pains and emotions I feel in this human body, without being manipulated by outer space or multi-dimensions too much, is amazing! I might actually be feeling the love that you guys are talking about! Or maybe it's just heart burn and gas. I'm still learning the difference."_

 _"I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying yourself." Phoenix leaned toward her to give her a kiss._

 _"Truck."_

 _"WHAT?!"_

 _BEEP! BEEP!_

 _SCREECH!_

 _"WHOO! Close one! So this is what it feels like to nearly have a heart attack! Whoo!" She kissed her man on the cheek._

 _Phoenix weakly said, "Ye-yeah...whoooo..." He swore he saw his life flashed before his eyes, and little bits of the parallel future where they did crash, and Aster either died, or lived as an orphan, or was successful through the Light pulling on dirty strings to make him famous. It was strange that the one with the Light in it was the best possible outcome if they did crash._

._._._.

 _Six Years Ago_

 _They crashed._

 _Not by a truck, but by what could've been destiny._

 _The Light never once felt helpless. There was the time Yubel somehow found a way to stuff a bunch of kuribohs and some light shit into her body which spun her demi-human body out of control, but she had to admit it was kind of fun being surprised._

 _What laid on the floor of her home wasn't a surprise. She knew Phoenix had his habit of being sloppy. She knew she was too carefree for anyone's good. They made a promise to keep the Plasma card safe with him. And he left the most powerful and dangerous card filled with the most toxic of dark light that will instill terror in anyone, and be unleashed as its own being by the evil souls where? His drawer._

 _Now, here he lied dead on the floor, and she felt helpless to do anything since it would take at least five years for this body to take revenge in the most justifying way, and just for funsies, made it mix with the plans she already had to fuck with the lil' dark prince and his future friends._

 _For now, she held Aster in her arms, and for the first time, comforted him like a real mother would._

._._._.

A/N: So...It looks like I made Chazz a Possession Sue which means that I just took his name, and left all of his character out of this to make him a Mary Sue to fit my ideals.

I won't say it's wrong.

I honestly wrote this to have fun with the idea of Chazz being a far more tragic character behind the scenes, and experiment with his character in certain situations, but it looks like I went way out of character, and made him too capable or too loved.

Hmmmm...Well! Since I've already gone this far, I don't mind in continuing in being a terrible writer. I'm having a lot of fun writing this version of Chazz, so a thank you to everyone else who will stick with me. For the reviewers, thank you **Guest** for sticking with me, and liking the little things I put in. Thank you **SlackingSlifer** for creating an account for this story. Sorry if it doesn't live up to your interests, but it means a lot to me that I started out doing so.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: **Fall Term college is starting up soon for me!** So I'm sorry if I don't update as much as I want to. I'm kind of scared because I've been neglecting my Japanese class studies, and I'm a noob. 私は少し日本語を話せます. 私の先生がこわいです! 私はべんきょうしていますがそれはじぶんではむずかしです。私は泣いています. (;_;)

Also I feel like I should point out that I did notice that Aster was actually five/six when his father died, but I doubled that age since Aster and D seemed to not have that deep of a relationship, even in the subbed, despite being father and son for ten years...so yeah...just putting it out there for anyone who nitpicks age details.

._._._.

 **Episode 95-96**

 _Song: Sinners - DD Luxz_

The day after he did what he did, Chazz felt a hollowness at his chest as if someone carved out a circle and then stuffed it with something heavy and uncomfortable. It was dread that he was feeling. He just flushed down the memories of his three closest friends down the toilet literally.

The fact that the shadow didn't come to stop him must've meant that he was fully in control of his emotions. He knew what he was doing, and it was just right after he was done that he was aware of the sin that he committed.

He remembered the strange woman he met, and how she seemed to know everything that was going on, but Chazz just put that mystery on the shelf since the only way he could find answers on her was by meeting her again. For now, he just had to try to move on from this since he already committed the crime without leaving any evidence except for that woman behind. He just had to pray that that woman would never pop in again.

So Chazz got ready for the new day. While she did, she remembered the other things that happened yesterday such as the arrival of her North Academy classmates. Foster bought them over the day before, and she greeted all of them, but then noticed that only forty-nine were present.

It turned out that Bernie, the number one duelist among them, had family troubles so he had to come late. Chazz understood, and offered to challenge the rest to a duel, but they immediately declined, saying that they wanted to at least start with a few weak Duel Academy students and some pros before they challenged her. She inwardly laughed, and left them mercifully.

She was also able to give back the Reaper card to Foster. The Chancellor immediately noticed the lack of an evil presence, and Chazz told him about how Jaden dueled against Grimley. She purposefully left out her doings since her powers were a secret to everyone except her family which included Vivian. Pegasus never bothered to talk to her about it, but the man did pass her some awkward glances and smiles that almost told her that he did know something. She didn't bother questioning it since this was Pegasus who had a strange relationship with Mr. Kaiba. Obviously, he should know something.

The memories end there, and she found herself dressed in a fitting black dress, thigh high socks, and combat boots. She put on a light brown, side-parted, mid-length wig, and then put on enough makeup to disguise her identity. She hadn't dressed like a woman in awhile, and only wanted to wear black to get the white-clothed infection off her. It definitely wasn't because she was despising Chazz Princeton for his actions. Nope. Or so she told herself.

She walked out of her dorm after she was sure that no one would spot her. She quickly walked out to the forest, and found some duelists and pros to take down. She mixed up her cards a bit, so that if anyone she knew saw her, they'd just think that she was just another Ojama user.

She used her powers to sense the energies of her friends to avoid them. Not because she felt like a danger to them or so she told herself. She could just call Seto Kaiba and have him and Joey Wheeler lock his powers again. She wasn't doing it now because she didn't want to lose the ability to avoid them, or so she told herself.

At the end of the day, she went back to her dorm, used her powers to take off her clothes, wig, and makeup, and left herself naked in her room. Her duel spirits were used to the sight of her naked body. She went into her closet, and picked out her sleeveless turtle neck shirt, and comfortable black pants. She also took out her black jacket and took in a sniff of its raw fish smell.

She lied down on her bed, and chanted in her head, _"I did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong! I did nothing wrong!"_ She kept on that despite the uncomfortable feeling on her lower back, and the pinching of her heart.

The next day, he went out as Chazz Princeton and dueled, and then went back to bed. The day after that, duel and sleep. The day after that day, duel and sleep. The day after those days, duel and sleep. After those days, "I did nothing wrong." seemed to be his mantra, but it started to sound faker and faker as the days went by.

Dressed as a boy that day, and dressed as a girl the other day, but always a fool in the end.

And Chazz was coming down with the truth after the seventh day, and heard that Zane and Aster was about to duel in the courtyard. It sounded like the rematch of the year, but she just couldn't bear to look Zane in the eyes after doing something so despicable, and she couldn't reverse it. The memories may have contained her secrets, but she did it in such a sneaky and underhanded way. It was mostly because of Bastion that she felt guilty. He was the one who mostly didn't deserve what she did when he did nothing wrong. She abused her powers that she gained because of him and Zane, and in return, she violated their minds and they didn't know it. Maybe she was in the right or wrong. Either way, she was a terrible friend with the potential to do horrid things.

She wanted to avoid everyone until next school year. Maybe the distance will give her ample time to fix herself.

Yet, that decision changed when she heard that Syrus was put in the hospital by Zane a few hours ago. She quickly ran to the nurse's office because she also heard about how some electrical bands were added. Syrus was a fragile person unlike Zane who apparently got used to the pain to be able to walk away like nothing happened. What the fuck was Zane thinking!

She arrived at the nurse's office out of breath. In the room was nurse Fontaine, Jaden, Hassleberry, and Syrus who was awake and looked well. They looked at her like a stranger, which reminded Chazz that she was dressed as one. She took a dry gulp before speaking with her real voice, "I heard that Syrus was sent to the nurse's office, but I see that it wasn't my own friend, Syrus, so I should be going." She quickly turned away, but Syrus spoke up, "Hey, wait!"

 _"FUCK! Please tell me he saw through me!"_

 _Song: Just The Girl - The Click Five_

The glasses-wearing boy nodded his head down with blushing cheeks as he shyly suggested, "You look dehydrated, and since you went through the trouble of coming all the way here, how about you help yourself to the water bottle this guy bought for me." He referred to Jaden who was caught off guard by being referred to as 'this guy'. Syrus whispered to him, "If you hadn't noticed, you're popular in these parts, and I don't want you cramping my style."

"Cramping your style? You had one to begin with?"

His best friend hissed whilst whispering, "Just don't tell her your name! I'm the injured one, so back off!"

"Okay, then. Sheesh." Jaden looked over to the girl and gave a friendly greeting, "Hey there! I'm his friend...uhm...Schmaden Schmuki." Everyone did a dramatic flop at that lame false identity. It was worst by how he saw nothing wrong with it. "Yup! Shmaden Schmuki! That's my name!"

Chazz felt the urge to insult the Slifer for his stupidity, but she had to stay in character to safely say goodbye and leave, but then the dinosaur enthusiast stepped up to her and greeted, "And I'm Tyranno Hassleberry! The leader of this group!"

 _"I know who you guys are! And I know I'm hot as a chick! But this is really weird even for my standards!"_ She thought while pulling a smile.

Syrus yelled at his friend with dreads, "Hey! Who appointed you as the leader! Don't listen to him! I'm the actual leader of this group! And I noticed that we haven't formally introduced ourselves. I'm Syrus Truesdale. The handsome one you mistook as your friend!"

 _"Handsome one? If I didn't know you, I'd roll my eyes, but I'll give you props for getting some confidence in trying to swoon a hottie like me. You know what! It'll be fun to mess with these guys."_ Chazz figured, and greeted in a friendly manner, "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Jasmine, but you can call me 'Jazz' for short. So you're Syrus," She approached him on the bed, and leaned forward with a teasing smirk, and inwardly chuckled when he blushed. "How are you feeling? I heard that you got electrocuted during a duel. Isn't that against the rules or something here?"

"I don't know if it was against the rules, but yeah, that was me, but I'm fine. Just feeling a bit of pain in my muscles."

Fontaine explained, "That's because that what happens when you're electrocuted. The electricity doesn't flow through your body, but it does send signals in your body to make your muscles tense up and flex. You're lucky those electrodes were set on low or else you would've suffered some heart problems and neurological effects that could've led you to death."

"Then my brother-"

"I can't tell unless I can diagnose him. For now, you need to rest for the time being. I'll be seeing myself out." The nurse walked out of the room to let the teens talk.

Syrus frowned at the thought that Zane would be using those electrodes set on a higher power. If he were to be killed by that...

"Hey Sy, it's okay. Your brother is a smart guy, so he won't get himself killed by some electricity." Jaden pointed out to cheer him up.

Syrus did brighten up a bit since that was true. Zane wasn't an idiot, though Chazz was challenging that fact in her mind. However, the fact that those electrodes were set on low and Syrus appeared to be fine after a few hours meant that Zane was at least considerate of his small stature at least. He can't risk killing his little brother anyway.

She figured that since she wasn't Chazz at the moment, she could at least put in her two cents to cheer him up, "So you dueled your big brother, Zane. I heard that he became dangerous among these parts, and for a little guy like you who don't look like much, you have guts. I'm impressed." She gave him a proud smile.

Syrus stared at this cutie with a flowery background. His face went red and he sputtered, "Yeah! Yeah! I have tons of guts! Load of guts! And by guts I mean figuratively! Like I'm super brave and a risk-taker! Have I told you about the times I defeated the shadow riders all on my own last year! Yup! That was me! Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

Everyone had animated sweat drops on the back of their heads.

Jaden figured that he could change the subject now that Syrus was too gung-ho to talk clearly. "So Jazz, you came here to join the Genex tournament?"

That was a stupid question to Chazz, but it was the perfect question for her to use to leave since she did her job, "Hmph! Of course! What else would I be doing at a dump like this?" She turned away. "Now if you don't mind me, I have me-"

The nurse's doors opened to reveal Atticus and Alexis.

 _"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

Chazz went as white as a ghost.

Atticus' eyes went wide open, "CHA-"

"ATTICUS!" Chazz interrupted him. "It's me! Jasmine! You're old friend! It's so nice to see you!" She hugged him, and whispered in his ear, "Tell anyone it's me, and I'll stuff your best card stuck into your vital organs while you're asleep, and then pull the trigger after you wake up and scream at what I did." She backed away with a smile, and Atticus stared at her like a psycho. He forced himself to smile as if he wasn't threatened to be tortured in an inhumane way. Chazz felt the guilt of taking his memories, but she had more important things to focus on at the moment.

Syrus grimaced at this discovery since he knew that he was no match for Atticus. Jaden and Hassleberry tried to cheer him up with pats on the back and saying "Next time."

Alexis smiled at the girl who she also couldn't tell was Chazz. Atticus could since he knew about Chazz dressing up.

Alexis greeted, "So you're a friend of Atticus. I don't think we met. I'm his younger sister, Alexis Rhodes."

Chazz continued her act, "And I'm Jasmine...Manjoume. I came over here because I heard that my own friend who happened to be named Syrus was put in the nurse's office, but wrong person, so I'll be going now."

"Don't go!" Syrus begged. He just found a girl who thought he had guts! He can't let her go now! But he noticed how desperate he sounded, "I mean we just met! I'd be interested to know how you and Atticus met."

"I'd like to know, too!" Jaden agreed.

"We have time." Hassleberry figured it'd be nice to have a lovely lady around.

"Yeah, I'd like to know, too." Alexis said. "It's rare to meet such a pretty girl and for my brother to not brag about it in front of me."

"I don't brag."

"You show me all of the pictures of the girls you met and dated."

"You told me to stop talking about what I'm doing to become a pop star."

"Doesn't mean I want to listen to you talking about your dates."

"Well maybe if you had gone on a date for once or became a pop star, we could have something to talk about."

"Well maybe if you took dueling seriously, we would!"

"Hey guys, we're all friends here!" Jaden said.

"Sarge, you don't want to get in between a sibling fight. It's like cats and dogs up in here, and you'll became the piece of meat they chew out on." Hassleberry warned him.

"Hey, where's Jasmine?" Syrus realized the missing red head in the room.

 _"RUN! RUN! RUN!"_

Chazz was running for dear life because she just wanted to see if Syrus was okay; not to get into awkward conversation, and have Syrus fall deeply in love with her. And why wouldn't he? She was the Chazz. She could make anyone fall for her...Yeah, no. She remembered how Atticus told her last week that he was in love with her last year because she treated him like a special friend. He was, but not in that context. Atticus was more of a third older brother figure. Yet, after he said those harsh words, they were just awkward, yet close friends. Now...Chazz didn't know. She had one more year in Duel Academy before her graduation, and Atticus and Bastion were close to Jaden, which meant that in any of the dorms, they'll be there, and it'll be awkward.

 _"AUGH! Why did I have to flush their memories away! They may contain my secrets, but I should've learned to trust them! They're not Zane!"_ Chazz hit her head against a tree. _"I'm the worst. I don't deserve these powers. I should've just sucked it up and revealed who I was like in North Academy...but this isn't North Academy. There was a system that worked for me back there. I came back to Duel Academy believing that I was going to have a great year, but look at me now! A good duelist but a bad friend. I'm so ashamed that I can't even call my brothers or Joey or even Vivian. RAAAAAAAAH!"_

Her Ojama spirits appeared. "Boss are you okay?" Ojama Yellow asked.

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?!" She screeched, which made everyone in hearing range run away. "I violated my friends' minds, and I'm a fuckin' coward who can't do what's right! Not when I don't want to throw myself in the fire where strangers around me act like fuckin' insensitive assholes. I don't want to be triggered again, but I don't want to live with my crimes."

"Oh boss, don't worry!" Ojama Yellow told him. "You'll figure this out. You just need to muster the courage you have inside you to face your problems!"

"That's right!" Ojama Green agreed. "You did what you did because you weren't prepared and you panicked. It happens to the best of us like how in those game shows, someone in the team or runner ups screws up because they panicked when they're usually good at staying calm and doing their thing."

Ojama Black added, "So don't beat yourself up. You gave this a week. Don't you think it's about time that you finally think your problems through like whether you truly have feelings for Alexis or not. Atticus said that, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Chazz sighed about that. She already got a ton of medals today, so she could just relax at her room to talk about it. She wasn't far so she went there and decided that it was about time she talked things through with her duel spirits who knew her best. "I want to believe that I'm in love with Alexis, but Atticus made a good point that I did fall in love with her after being kidnapped by Banner." She remembered the terror she felt by being locked in that bubble and no one was out there to save her nor did anyone, not even Alexis or Atticus could hear her like that white room that held her disfigured body.

"Well..." The unhappy maiden started. "Is the love you have for her the same you have for the shadow?"

"The shadow?" Chazz reached her dorm, and walked over to her spacious living room. She could feel something rise up in her body, so did a few stretches before she closed her eyes to see the darkness that she loved so much, and remembered the feeling of the shadows hands all over her.

 _Song: Take Me Slow - Carly Rose_

She hadn't thought about the shadow for awhile since she was brainwashed, and then her mind was filled with so many other things afterwards.

She just thought of him, and all her troubles dropped like raindrops that dribbled low like marbles on a vibrating floor. Chazz could feel the vibrations flow through her body and electrocute her in a way that made her muscles tense and flex in a rhythm. Chazz knew how to dance to hip hop, so it wasn't hard to start stomping on the floor, popping her body, and making it flow like a tropical wave.

Her hips swung side to side at the memories of how he made both of her genitals feel pleasure in her hermaphroditic body. She could remember how it wrapped his form all around her body and made her feel beautiful at every angle. The dark being made her insides burn with an intense yet harmless flame. She also remembered by how it made her feel so dirty and that thrilled her. Making her body pulse and harden, full and flexible, tight and drenched in sweat. Making her want to roll her hips and back it up.

Above all that, she could feel herself put her all into this because before they engaged, there was love, and the sex was just the strawberries and whipped creamed dipped into their bitter sweet dark chocolate love.

She wished he was here now so they could dance together, but she felt ashamed for what she did. She abused her powers once again, and she just wanted him to come to comfort or distract her. She didn't want that. She wanted him to come out of love and desire for once. Not because she was afraid, in pain, or insecure.

She was in love with the shadow.

...She opened her eyes and realized that this love she felt was different from the so-called love she felt for Alexis.

Her body moved her to the front of her sectional couch where she drop down to let the realization sink in. Her duel spirits waited for her to talk, and she eventually did, "Whelp! Looks like I was just in over my head after all!" He got up and stretched his arms, taking off his clothes to get ready for bed since it was getting late. "I'm glad I'm over that! Alexis and I wouldn't have worked out anyway. There's no way that she could handle the Chazz right."

"Chazz..." Ojama Yellow knew what he was trying to do. "You don't have to hide anything from us. We're your friends. You know that right."

Chazz paused when he put the jacket back in the closet. His heart was pulsing hard despite how hard he was trying to make it beat normally. The floor was covered by drips of water. "I..." He gritted his teeth. "I'm just tired of living in a world of delusions, but I'm trying to be a delusion."

"But you're not a delusion!" Ojama Yellow explained, "You are the Chazz! This is just an extended version of you like that director's cut movies that only true fans would watch!"

"So maybe you didn't love Alexis in the way you thought, but that's common among plenty of teenagers!" Ojama Black reasoned.

"And look in the bright side! No one was forced to do anything! Everyone is okay." Ojama Green reminded him. "You falling out of your crush hurts nobody."

Everyone else agreed. Chick the Yellow added, "It also happened to me. I thought I was in love with this one girl, but it turned out that I just liked the cookies she baked."

Chaos Necromancer approached him, and used his doctor puppet to be at Chazz's sight. "From my diagnoses, you are getting better, Chazz. You haven't hurt yourself. You're not forcing anyone to pretend to be anything. You reconnected ties with your family, and right now you are having troubles with your friends, but you didn't overreact to the point that the shadow had to come to your rescue. In other words, you're being a regular teenager who makes mistakes. Not in the normal way what with having powers, but hey, if kids like you had it, many of them would've done the same, and few would learn from their actions. We are here to make sure you learn from your mistakes, and become the person you would like to be while still loving the person you are now."

"That's right!" Spirit of the Breeze chirped. "We won't push you to do anything, but we all agreed that maybe the best thing you could do for everyone and yourself is to talk to Zane, Bastion, and Atticus about what you did, or at least one of them. Atticus and you should clear up about the feelings you had to move on and become friends again. Bastion did nothing to betray you, and he might not be your friend after you tell him the truth, but he deserves to know since he's always been by your side loyally. You can forget about Zane."

Chazz chuckled at the last part. His tears still flowing, but he was feeling better. "Thanks guys. I'll think on that."

And she did the next day while dueling people as Jasmine. She knew Atticus was a good start, but she wasn't sure of what to say, or if the conversation was truly needed. She was going to hide that she took his memories, which seemed to be the more important part that she had to tell him. Their fake feelings for the person they latched onto seemed to be a short conversation just to make sure there was no gaps in their relationship when at truth, there was a huge gap, and that seemed unfair to Atticus. But was it really? Atticus knew nothing except for the fact that Chazz attempted suicide before. She could bring that up, but in order to do that, she had to reveal of why Atticus can't remember Zane telling him that at all. Maybe she could just tell him that it did happen, and he just had a bad memory. Yet, she wondered if she should be totally honest with Atticus just like she used to be with Zane and Bastion before she was brainwashed. Could she trust him though to not tell Alexis?

Chazz was practically trying to draw a cause and effect chain in her mind of what could happen if one said yes or no.

She then began wondering if she should call Vivian or any of her family members for help, but then she remembered that she had this whole speech in her head about the fact that her friendships were different from their friendships. She also felt like she should do this without anyone's help except from her duel spirits.

She thought so hard on this that she even forgot she was dueling with somebody. She then called it quits for the day after that, and hit the dance floors to see if sharpening her dance skills again would clear her mind and see the answer. She danced ballet, bone breaking and flexing, hip hop dance styles, some Indian dance styles, and also contemporary.

However, she didn't figure anything out, except that she still got it.

The next day, she walked around getting some duels before she heard that Jaden was getting a pop quiz. That idiot was never going to pass. She went on with her day while thinking about how to figure out her problem. But at the end of the day, all she got were medals and no answers. She figured that she should think about this after the tournament was over. Atticus was still tending to his sister, so it wasn't a good time anyway.

Chazz wasn't trying to run away from her problems, or so she thought. She definitely wasn't! Or so she thought. It's definitely not the right timing! She knew she wasn't going to fool herself with that, but she kind of tried to.

When facing with a problem that was a man vs man vs mind set, she figured the easier thing to do was jump off a cliff! Yup! She was going there! Dark humor from her past suicide attempts, which she wasn't sure if she really planned them out or not. She tried to avoid doing that before because she didn't want to ever bring down the mood around her, and no, she wasn't putting people above her for that. She's just sick of feeling sorry for herself since dragging people down with her had shown to be toxic for the last six to seven years of her life!

Her memories of depression were actually sort of a blur now, and it came more to her as a fact and a feeling than actual memories. She definitely wasn't trying to suppress it. Okay, maybe a little, but that was normal. Her therapist said so. It was only bad if she was suppressing it just to avoid facing a current problem. And her problem had nothing to really do with her past depression. It was mostly from her inability to properly handle relationships with new people.

Chazz thought about calling her therapist, but that would be like calling your high school teacher after you graduated because you realized they have taught you nothing, nothing they taught you stuck with you, or they didn't teach enough.

The only thing she was sure about was that she wanted Zane to leave. Screw him. Yeah, he was the one who started Chazz's road of recovery by turning her into a happy sushi roll, but this wasn't the same Zane! He'd probably just laugh at her misery now! If Zane wanted to be a bigger asshole than last year, then good riddance!

...Or so she thought.

She was not about to kill herself, but she at least put herself on a sugar high by the sugar pills she was given. She had been on pills for over half a decade, and Chazz didn't need them to fix her body's biochemistry anymore. But then, she couldn't help feeling anxious when she didn't take them, so she was given sugar pills to mimic the daily routine.

After just taking a few of them on a time she would've taken her old pills, she went to the dance studio to at least dance off her left over energy for a good night sleep, but then she was interrupted by a naked Bastion barging into the room and crying out, "CHAZZ!" The maniac grabbed her arms and yelled right at his face like a child told that he was going to Disneyland. "You wouldn't believe it, but I just had a vision! Professor Eisensteen was here! And he restored my faith in science!"

Chazz looked at him oddly since he was naked and talking about old men. "That's great, but why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know! When I came upon this discovery, I knew I just had to tell you! Out of everyone, you just popped up in my mind, and I just had to see you one more time before I leave Duel Academy to unleash my full potential. I don't know why, but," Bastion eased his grip on her arms, and smiled a gentle, wistful smile as if he was already gone. "I'm going to miss you, Chazz. We're friends and we shared some phenomenal dances in here, but I feel like our relationship had grown deeper than that. Oh my, I sound less like a man of science when I put it that way. I just don't understand why I'm so excited to see...Chazz?"

 _"Fuck."_ Chazz put her head down to hide her shameful face. _"This is what it means to reap what you sow."_

"Bastion..." she spoke lowly, afraid that speaking high would break her.

"Yes, Chazz? Is something wrong?" Bastion's caring, weary voice innocently stabbed a toothpick to block all the artery openings of his heart while the veins continue to pump the blood inside to the point that it could explode.

She breathlessly said apologetically, "I screwed up."

 _Song: Landslide - Fleetwood Mac_

She had Bastion sit down next to her after giving him the brown coat she wore today to cover him up. She first revealed her powers to him, which blew his mind figuratively, but she quickly followed it with what she did. She avoided looking at Bastion's face as she revealed the truth about who or what she was and that he was supposed to already know, but Chazz took it away.

After she was done, the room fell silent. Not even their breathing could be heard.

Eventually, Bastion spoke, "So..." He took in a deep breath through his nose, "You flushed my memories down a toilet."

"...Yeah." Chazz still avoided looking him in the eye.

Bastion nodded, thought on it a bit longer, and then stood up. Chazz turned to look at him, and there was that disappointed, hurt expression she didn't mean to put on there. The genius looked like he didn't want to be angry, too, but he felt that he had to be, and he should. "I am...I feel betrayed. I did nothing for you to suspect me to ever do what Atticus or Zane did."

"I know!" Chazz bit her bottom lip at having yelled. She lowered her tone respectfully, "It wasn't so much you, but what could happen if everyone else knew. I was scared of being called 'suicide boy' or being called a liability."

"And you thought I didn't know that!"

"No!" She stood up to meet him eye to him as she desperately explained, "I did know you know! I knew you understood what I needed the most because you did your research and you reached out to me and treated me like a true friend! If Jaden or any of our friends knew, they would just pity me. If Sheppard knew last year, he wouldn't have given me a spirit key. I do trust you, Bastion. I just couldn't trust the future." She hoped she made sense, and it looked like Bastion did understand her. She added, "Believe me, if I could get them back, I would give it back to you, but I...I'm a terrible person. I don't deserve to be your friend. I'm sorry." She sat back down, huddled her frail body, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart was finally bursting now that the threads of their friendships were snapping by the weight of her sin.

But Bastion softly scolded her, "Don't say that. I mean, yes, I am furious with you, but I..." He sat back down next to her, "I'm going to be completely honest. I can't trust you, Chazz. You violated my mind worse than Sartorius did. At least I was fully aware that I was being manipulated, and that was my fault. But you stabbed me in the back without warning. Not because of what I did, but what others did. It's a good thing I'm leaving because I don't think I can trust you until you have you and your powers under control." He let those words sink in first before he gave Chazz's hands a tender grasp. "But I'm still your friend because I love you."

Chazz whipped her head at him, and gave him an incredulous look. "You still love me?"

Bastion earnestly told her, "With all my heart. This perfectly explains why I just needed to see you. It's to give you my goodbye."

 _Song: It will Rain - Bruno Mars covered by Amy Whitcomb ft. Jake Justice_

"But before I go, a word of advice. It may be the best after all for you to not tell Zane or Atticus the truth. Zane has gone through quite a change that makes him unreliable, and Atticus could be reliable, but trust is a two-way street, and Atticus crossed a line last year with you."

"He didn't know." Chazz pointed out, but Bastion quipped, "Who knows what he might do if he did. I'm not saying he will. Atticus is a swell fellow, but you should wait a little longer before determining whether he or any of our friends are trustworthy or else you might end up with a Zane again. Bastions are a rarity." He playfully bragged, which made Chazz at least crack a small smile before what was to come.

The two stood up with both of theirs hands holding each other. Chazz wanted to tighten her hold, but she didn't want to make this anymore difficult for herself.

Bastion offered her one last smile. "Good bye, Chazz." He kissed her cheek, and right before his eyes, he saw the memories that was taken from him flash before his eyes, except they were from Chazz's point of view. He backed away, happy to feel that at least half was given back.

He let go of her hands to walk away. Chazz found herself joking, "So no video messages anymore?"

Bastion looked back at her with an apologetic and mirthful, "No." He looked away, missing Chazz mouthing back, "I love you, too."

 _Song: The Love I Meant To Say - Jeremy Jordan from Smash_

After Bastion closed those doors and was out of her sight, she slowly released her composure with a deep breath and clenched shut eyes. A keen whimper escaped from her clenched throat, and that one sound turned her into a sobbing mess on the dance floor. Her duel spirits kept their distance to let her cry in peace.

._._._.

 **Episode 97**

Chazz wanted the sun to go screw itself when it came to rudely tell others that tomorrow came and yesterday can have all the fucks it didn't have. Bastion left with professor Eisensteen, and they were still friends, but that friendship was hanging on threads that were tight around his neck, wrists, and ankles, and if he would move with those figurative strings, he could feel them constricting his movements, blood flow, and breathing.

 _Song: Perfect Illusion - Lady Gaga_

He got up knowing that he should finally face Atticus, so he used his Duel Academy phone to send him a message to meet him at his room. The pop star arrived not knowing what they were going to talk about. Chazz had them sit down on his couch, and he confessed to coming to a realization that he wasn't in love with Alexis after all. He still cared for her but not in the way he thought he did. Atticus was predictably shocked, but he wasn't upset. He also came to the conclusion that he wasn't in love with Chazz, and just like the last time in the abandoned dorm, Atticus confessed and apologized for what he did last year without realizing that he was repeating this.

The two worked it out, and then separated on good terms. Though Chazz felt guilty for hiding the truth, he took Bastion's advice. He can't trust Atticus, yet. Chazz was now wrapped around by a few more threads from not only Atticus, but all the others except for Zane. He only had one thread, and that was sewed into his spine.

 _Song: Plead the Fifth (Dean's Lullaby) - Fansong parody of Hallelujah by SunnySniper_

A few days passed since then, and Chazz spent it dueling a bunch of students while trying to get his mood upbeat again little by little. He remembered his therapist's advice that he shouldn't wallow in his pain, but he shouldn't trying to bury it. He just needed to get himself out of it by at least smiling, but if that pissed him off, then he should give himself a reason to smile. Right now, that was taking down hot shot pros and duelist.

However, he began noticing that there were very few around with their duel disks on, and nearly all the pros were gone, so that meant that the end was coming, and that was most likely tomorrow. He was also aware that today, the pro duelist D was finally coming out after four years in order to defend his title. His opponent happened to be a psychopathic genius who was responsible for one of the greatest heist throughout the world that also led to riots and assassinations because of it. However despite how dangerous he was, the FBI kept him around to use his brain to discover complicated or unsolved cases. Chazz would watch the match later when it came out on the web.

Then out of curiosity, he felt for Zane's energy, and it was no surprise that asshole was still here. The dancer thought that since the problem with Bastion and Atticus were out of the way, and the tournament was coming to an end, this was the right time to go see him. He walked over to the changed duelist though. That was because he wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect to feel. Anger was obvious, but the leftovers of his love for Zane made him feel worry. The one thing he was sure that he was starting to feel was nervousness since the two haven't interacted with each other since four months ago. He just sucked it up, and forced himself to get closer and closer the more the distance shortened between him and Zane.

He eventually found the teal haired duelist about to end a duel against a North Academy student. The former North Academy leader gasped when he saw that it was Bernie.

"AUGHH!" The turquoise pompadour male lost all of his life points by such a merciless attack, that had his body jumping back onto his back.

"Bernie!" Chazz ran over to him and knelled by his side.

"Chazz? Don't worry. I'm fine." The younger teen appeared to have no physical injuries other than a wounded ego.

Chazz was really glad that he was fine and there were no electrical bands on him. "Good because there was no way I was going to carry you all the way to the nurse's office from here."

"Another sorry follower of yours, Princeton?" Zane asked mockingly. He saw Chazz Princeton as nothing but another person Zane wasted his time with before. He felt like there was something missing between them, but he just told himself to not care.

"Hey!" Bernie roared, standing up, "Don't you dare talk to the Chazz that way!"

Chazz stood up and casually ordered, "Just ignore him, Bernie. This guy isn't worth our time."

Zane found that amusing, "Really? You aren't going to try to change me back to the worthless person I used to be like that sorry excuse of a duelist and worthless blood relative?"

Chazz glared at him for his reference to Atticus and Syrus, but he let that go since he wasn't here to fight their battles or this with their reasons. "Why would I? I'm not your mom, and from what I heard, we aren't friends anymore, so I don't have to talk to the likes of you."

The teal haired duel maniac looked more amused and even a bit proud. "Is that so. Glad to hear someone here gets it. And here I thought you'd cry and rant over what I did to my disgrace of a worthless little brother. His maggot of a friend with a dinosaur fetish did as if I'd give a damn."

Chazz felt himself bristle at his words, but just as he was taught from his family, he remained calm, yet his words were spiteful, "Oh please. What Syrus does on his own time is none of my business. Apparently, he reached puberty after you left, so he's a big boy now. Nice to know that a short stalk like him can grow without your big head blocking out the sun. Oh, and for the record, I pulled off the whole bad boy image and eyeliner way before you did."

Zane darkly chuckled. "Then we both know who's the newer better version."

 _Song: Sucker For Pain - Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons ft. Logic, Ty Dolla $ign & X Ambassadors from Suicide Squad_

"More like the sequel that nobody needed. Do you really think that you're fooling anyone with your heartless guy image?"

Zane was caught off guard by the assuming question on his authenticity. His lips curled into a scowl, "What are you talking about?"

Chazz spoke with a strategic even tone in her real voice that sent chills up Bernie's spine, "Oh please. I'm rich, Zane, and only the powerful are rich. I grew up among psychopaths and sociopaths who cut people down for their own benefit figuratively and literally." The rich intermale thought about his brothers and Seto Kaiba when he said this. "Compared to them, you're a joke. Know why? Because they didn't need to throw away every crumb of their humanity to get to the strength that you're aiming for. That's why compared to them, you're just a scared, stumbling baby in diapers trying to act like the man, but you're not even half or even on the scale of Seto Kaiba. Or Joey Wheeler for that matter." To people who didn't know the dark side of Joey Wheeler, they would've thought he was offending Zane even more as a duelist. But what Chazz really meant by that was that Seto Kaiba gave off the threatening presence of a duelist, and Joey Wheeler gave off the threatening presence of a man who didn't need a weapon or backup, so Zane wasn't even in the range of a good duelist or a man for that matter. Some of Zane's memories were gone, but he caught what this punk was insinuating.

Chazz continued on with a serve of, "That's why you're not worth my time. You're not a threat. You're a joke."

 **THACK!**

"Chazz!" Bernie cried out.

Zane had Chazz against a tree with his hands clenching his shirt. "I dare you to say that to my face again." He snarled.

Chazz felt the instinct to electrocute him, and he did give off a little, but Zane was so used to it, that he couldn't even feel the little jolts of electricity. Chazz didn't lose his cold glare even thought his body ached a little from the force of being slammed against a tree. In his mind he thought that if Zane wasn't going to give a fuck about him, he wasn't giving a fuck back. However, Chazz did remember their past memories.

Especially that day when Zane selflessly helped him after he lost to Bastion last year. Chazz let that memory be buried as he let his honed cut-throat Princeton side come to life. He leaned forward and whispered in Zane's ear, "Jaden said that you were too smart to end up killing yourself," The little Princeton brother was about to relish in his darker side, but then he stopped himself from saying, "But we both know that you will die in a year or two." The idea and the gloating of Zane dying before him wasn't right no matter how mad he was. He shouldn't be that mad after what he did. He supposed he had some hidden animosity for what Zane did to Syrus and how he discarded their friendship, but Chazz wasn't his older brothers or Seto Kaiba.

Instead, he put his hand on Zane's chest to heal his wounds and strengthen his heart enough to at least give him another year to live. Chazz could sense that the Cyber dark deck was responsible, but just like the Reaper, she respected that they were just doing their niche. Zane knew what was going on with his deck, but he was in such a high for the power it gave him. It would be like reasoning with a crack head to stop taking drugs.

Chazz knew that he couldn't get Zane out of this without brainwashing him, and he didn't want to explore his powers like that. Chazz knew people who could help Zane, but the first step was for Zane to accept that this was a problem he needed fix. That didn't happen until they hit rock bottom and sought out help. He still loved Zane, but he had to trust in the one thing he only gained from Sartorius, and that was trusting in destiny that he'll finally fucking call.

Zane let go of his shirt when he felt the soothing heat that flowed through the crooked cracks of his chest, and eased his muscles to drop the heavy pressure and pain it had been straining to fight against. His teal eyes concentrated on Chazz' grey ones that were a bit brighter than usual. He could see the fragile love in them, and Zane felt the fear as it drew him to feel emotions that would undo the person he became.

But then, that look quickly disappeared into a glare as Chazz finished his sentence, "You're going to kill yourself with those electrodes you use or handicap yourself. We're not friends, but the others still think you are. They're so sentimental that I could puke, but I'd be the worse kind of jackass if I didn't help a jerk like you, so when you come to your senses, I know some people who can help you."

"When will you peo-!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Just take my damn number." Chazz took out his business card and shoved it onto his hand. He was taught since a young age to always have a business card on him for potential associates. "Keep it. Throw it. I don't care. Just know that when you're sick of your one-track brain, just give that number a call." He walked away, but then he remembered their little game. "Oh before I forget." He went back, gave Zane's lips a peck, and then walked away, claiming, "Now we're even."

 _Song: Somebody I used to know - Gotye ft. Kimbra_

Bernie followed Chazz, and asked, "Is he your ex-boyfriend, the Chazz?"

Chazz went bright red and steamy, "NO! That was just a joke between us! Why would I ever date such a self-centered, sadistic asshole who copied my look?! Do you think of me like that?!"

"N-No! Noooo! Just that you kissed him."

"And like I said, it was a game!" Chazz stomped away faster, making himself look funny.

Zane stared at Chazz dubiously, but then he found himself smiling and burst out into maniacal laughter, which Chazz heard, and yelled, "SHUT UP! I WON OUR ARGUMENT SO DON'T LAUGH! IF ANYONE IS GETTING THE LAST LAUGH IT'S ME! HA! HA!" Chazz was aware of how uncool that sounded, so he just marched away faster with his minion. Zane smothered his laughter into snickers. It's been so long since he laughed like this. That idiot lost to Jaden, but it was obvious that he was going to come out as the overall winner since Jaden had to deal with some Society of Light nonsense.

He looked down at the business card he was given, and he thought that he was never going to use it, but he supposed he could keep it around, so he could laugh at something.

Back to Chazz, Bernie waited until he cooled down. He watched as Chazz stomped away, stopped in front of a cliff to look out into the sunset, and complain about Zane to himself and then to the duel spirits he had around. Bernie could see them, but he didn't comment.

Eventually, Chazz sat down on the cliff, took in a big huff and puff and then blew it all out to relax with a more leveled anger. "Stupid Zane. Even as a heartless asshole, he laughs at me! Well, the Chazz will show him!" He growled.

Bernie sat down next to him. "So...how have you been?"

"Hm. Let's see." The ravenet started out sarcastically, "I used to be friends with that bastard back there, but he lost a duel, which turned him into that sicko. A week ago, I realized that the girl I thought I was destined for wasn't the one, and I'm still friends with her big bro, but we both fuckin' screwed up with each other, so we're not as close as we were before, and probably never will be. And just wait for it, the day before that, I betrayed the only true friend I had on this island, and we're still friends, but we're taking a break from each other until I get my shit together." Chazz really wanted to cry when he remembered Bastion's goodbye, but his anger for Zane and annoyance over the issue with Atticus stopped him. "So what 'bout you?"

Bernie wanted to comfort his leader, but it looked like Chazz was ready to duel the pants off of someone, and he didn't want to be the target, so he answered, "Good. Good. You already heard from Foster that I'm the new number one duelist, and I wasn't sure if I could be as good as you, but everyone's pretty cool with me, and I try to be as helpful as I can while also attending classes. You really left the academy in capable hands, and your donations have been very helpful, the Chazz."

"Yeah, with a dump like that place, it could use all the help it needs." Chazz sighed, starting to feel just on the borders of mild depression. His voice starting to sound robotic. "Maybe it's a good thing I left after all because of me, the girl I thought I was in love with and my only true best friend were brainwashed into an evil cult with plans to brainwash the world with a huge satellite in the sky. And there's still a bunch of freakin' members roaming around!"

"Then...Why don't you just beat them all?"

"I will tomorrow. They're bound to all stack together to make sure one of them is a winner." Chazz just shrugged since those members had nothing on him.

Bernie figured to. "Oh...Will you have an army behind you?"

"What? An army? What would I need them for?"

"F-For support! I mean if you're going to beat all of them at once, then you should have witnesses, and you're the Chazz! You don't have an army here?"

"Uh!" That did seem uncharacteristic of Chazz to not have followers! He already got over the huge part of his problems, so he should do what his therapist to told him to do and do things to cheer him up. And who was he to not find joy in impressing one of his underling who'll tell the legend back home! "O-Of course I do!" He stood up, and did his pose to appear superior. "The Chazz always has an army! I just didn't think I needed them now! But you proved a good point, so tomorrow, I'll face those society of light scum with my army behind me and I'll CHAZZ IT UP!"

Bernie fell for his charisma that his hazel eyes lit up like a fanboy's. "Amazing! CHAZZ IT UP, THE CHAZZ! CHAZZ IT UP!"

"Of course!"

Now Chazz just needed to find some desperate idiots.

 _Song: Fire Under My Feet - Leona Lewis_

While he went off with Bernie to find them, Jun was a crying mess on Jaswinder's lap at the turn out of her friendships with Daichi's and Ryo's reincarnations. She didn't really care for Fubuki. Viscaria's reincarnation into Vivian was nice though. "Whhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyy?" She moaned like a wondering lost soul in a dark forest.

"There. There. At least our Chazz didn't turn into Kaiba or his brothers where they cut off any form of friendships." The doctor pointed out.

"I know." She sniffed hard as the tears kept pouring. "But why did it have to be Daichi and Ryo? Would that have happened if I stayed the princess? I understand that Chazz did what he did out of panic, but I hate how it ended the happy days of their friendship! I want to get out of here and snuggle up with my Chazzy! He's a precious broken cinnamon role who just needs guidance! BWEEEEEEH!"

Jaswinder rolled her eyes. She would've scolded Chazz a bit for falling into the words of a stranger, but also comfort him, but not to the extent that Jun seemed to want to. "Yes. Yes. We all do. Right Xiao...Where's Xiaoling?" She looked across the black room that they've been in.

Jun stopped her sobbing to looking around with her. "Xiaoling?"

._._._.

 _Four Years Ago_

 _Song: Fatal Lullaby - Adrian Von Ziegler_

 _In the dark of the night, Light in the body of Langit sand a sweet lullaby about blood, graves, and the end of breathing to her twelve-year-old son, so he didn't go to sleep in tears. Aster had been told these horror lullaby versions since he was a baby, and he knew they were odd, but they were oddly smoothing, too, for its light yet soft melody that gave off a false yet desirable sense of security._

 _"Thank you for being here with me, mama Langit." He told her sleepily. Langit had taken to transitioning her male body, and made her baby boy to affectionately refer to her as such. "The D is busy being a world champ, and Sartorius is acting all strange and busy being more like my manager than my friend."_

 _The Light softly smiled at this. A wicked gleam in her eyes. "Being let for work happens to even the best of us, but don't you worry, Aster. You will find the one who killed your father, you will win a duel against him to get your father's card back with your destiny heroes, and justice will be rightfully served. Don't depend on the police. They already have too much on their hands handling the billions of people who stir chaos every day." She caressed his cheek with the tip of her fingers to leave a ticklish feel from her long fingernails. "You will become a hero, Aster."_

 _"You really believe that, mama Langit?"_

 _"Why wouldn't I? You have a powerful light inside of you that could rival the king."_

 _"The king in your stories?"_

 _"Yes. The story about the princess knight and her beloved king. Both betrayed by the king's close friend."_

 _"But they all became best friends in the next life, right?"_

 _"Oh my, did you forget the ending?"_

 _"You'll have to run by it with me again." The child lightly joked._

 _"Alright. I'll retell the tale, but first, tell me who is your favorite character?"_

 _"It's the princess knight! She's really strong, and funny, and cool, but I don't like the king. He's lazy. He's not even a real king! It's his close friend and the prime minister who does all the work. I like the prime minister, too. He's not really in the story, but he's the only sane one running the kingdom. He should've been the king. Then the princess knight didn't have to die."_

 _"Mm. Perhaps. Maybe the prime minister should've been the king." The Light grinned down at her beloved son who was the reincarnation of Edo, the prime minister of Judai's kingdom, and who remained prime minister for several years to come since he was always with the times, and not only that but, "What about his husband, Takuma Saiou? Edo wouldn't have have done his job so well if it wasn't for the most prestigious fortune teller across the twelve dimensions."_

 _"He's pretty awesome, too. Nothing can defy destiny, right, mama Langit."_

 _The Light honestly believed that that bullshit can be a load of bullcrap considering the there are parallel futures, but she had a plan, so, "Yes. Nothing. And you know the saying, those who accept destiny finds happiness, those who defy it find glory. But you my boy, will find vengeance and justice. Just believe in good ol' destiny, and your father's card will come back to you." She kissed his forehead to use her regaining power to put him into a lovely dream._

 _She smirked lovingly down at her beloved boy who had no clue that his killer was near him. She also felt wicked by the fact that she left her dear husband in the body of Plasma in its card. He wasn't suffering. More like in a deep sleep, and just wakens for a second to remember his mistake, suffer the guilt a little before he was unconscious once again. "Don't worry, Phoenix, my love. You'll be set free at the right time."_

._._._.

 **Episode 98**

 _Song: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen_

In the dead quiet at a ship, the Light was reminded of Titanic as she twirled along the ballroom with the ghost of her beloved Phoenix that had his mouth taped on so he didn't ruin the moment. Above them, their son was battling the D. She remembered the sweet memories of the past after Phoenix was dead such as when she threatened the D, Kyle Jables, to spend as little time with Aster, but not to the point that Aster began questioning his adoption. She remembered when she helped teach Aster how to duel with the D, and the cute meetings with her future victim Sartorius and his sacrificial sister, Sarina. She didn't have the full extent of her powers throughout the years, but she had a brilliant insane mind that manipulated the events that led to this one fantastic moment!

"OOOOh! Phoenix!" She moaned as she grinded against his spirit form. She turned to him and gave the tape over his lips a sloppy wet kiss that one would receive from a dog before she told him, "It's your time! Make sure I sound like a FIEND!" She giggled maniacally, ripped off the tape, and sent his soul back into Plasma with the other sorry darkly lit souls.

She then had different weapons appear at her hands to swing, chuck, and throw to break all the expensive shit in this ship before it blew up into flames which was her cue to go into the room where Aster and the D dueled.

"This isn't over! I shall return again!" He claimed to a dubious Aster who abandoned him with the Plasma card. "I AM THE CHOSEN ONE!"

"Chosen?" The Light laughed at the idea, taking the D's attention. She greeted him with the face of a giddy trickster as her body emitted a cloudy light that burned largely and brilliantly that the flames around them were just birthday candle lights in comparison. The presence of her power was stronger than the Plasma card or Sartorius, that the D fell to his knees at her glorious presence as the entity fully formed. The Light was also naked, but for no reason other than she wanted to be, and with how good she looked, why wouldn't she want to be.

"Yo...You're..."

"Mmmm." She hummed sweetly as she spoke with a deep, yet smooth and tender feminine voice that made her give off the false atmosphere of a benevolent goddess, "That's right, Kyle. I am the Light of Destruction in human form."

"But you were Aster's baby sister!"

"A mother must always be near her child."

"Chi...Child?" The man felt a heavy realization draw his head down as the few memories of his time with Aster came back to him with Langit in the background. The fire around them roasted his body, but he felt the weight of his mind more than the cries of his skin.

The Light licked her lips tentatively at how delicious this was going to be. "Yes. And I bet if you wracked your head around it, you'd connect the dots."

"Then...the reason I was made to battle Aster now was..." Because she was in love with the man he killed.

The Light answered, "Yes."

"You loved him?"

"Yes."

"But the card-"

"Only gave you the power to do what you desired, and through your desires, it formed a personality around it. The same with Sartorius."

"But you let me adopt Aster... You let me use this card..."

"For this moment."

"This moment...So I...destiny..."

"This is it." She shrugged heartlessly. "For your information, I had nothing to do with you losing the duel. You lost that all on your own even with the power you stole, so even beyond me..." She died out the flames of her power to allow the other flames to burn ferociously. She turned and walked away.

The D felt cut off by that lack of ending. "Beyond you what? BEYOND YOU WHAT?!" He cried out, but the ceiling fell around him, preventing his escape yet slow down the fire's speed towards him. The murderer knelled there trying to figure out what she was supposed to say! Every degrading, insulting word racing through his mind that he spiraled himself into a state of complete and utter despair by his own hand. The ship split in half beneath him and he died by the crushing pressure of the waters like a roasted bug's life ending with a squash.

The Light watched this pure destruction pollute the ocean's waters from the top of an iceberg. She sang the lullaby that she sang to Atticus as the sun was rising once again to reveal another new day in this part of the Earth.

Phoenix appeared beside her in spirit. The Light asked him, "Aren't you supposed to be in heaven?"

"Funny thing. They rejected me because I put my dick in you." He darkly joked. The Light snorted and giggled as her man put his hands on her, "I take it that you finally forgive me for the stupidest mistake of my life that scarred our son and made you raid a sex toy factory."

"Mmmm. How I give you a new body, and you can make it up to me all night long." She turned around and made out with the ghost. It's been way too long since she felt his hands, but she didn't regret putting him through his punishment.

"So when are we ever telling Aster? Are you waiting for the worst time?"

"Nooooo. Until Chazz and him just can't stand each other, and then BOOM! You're siblings in a very complicated way!" She evilly giggled at the response, but she did say, "But you can haunt him a bit. Let him know you're still around to cheer him up. A boy is never old enough for his daddy."

"Oh yeah. I'll give him the sex talk by sending comments on the porn sites he go to." He then began playing around as he recited his future commenting, "Oh, you watch this. No don't watch that. You haven't even been with a woman. Don't fill yourself up with assumptions like that. You're marry a man. Here's some good gay porn sites that'll teach you." He wasn't actually going to do that. Just some strange humor being thrown out.

The Light burst out laughing, got calm out of nowhere, leaned back on his arm, and kissed the corner of his chin while stroking his ghostly hair. "You're such a good dad."

The father snorted. "I know. Aster grew up to be a good boy. You raised him well."

"Yeaaaah. He's going to hate us when we tell him the truth."

"Oh definitely." They sucked in a piece of air as they braced themselves for their son's yelling and tears and then forgiveness because this part of their life was done. They watched the sunrise together in peace.

 _Song: CRZY - Kehlani_

 ** _"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAANDMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"_**

The grey clouds above them was lit on fire by the burning blaze of Crimson who came back from saving thee dimensions from some rising dictator.

"Oh shit."

._._._.

"So you took down the rest of the Society of Light?" Jona, disguised as Chazz's therapist asked.

They were currently at Chazz's mansion since Duel Academy was given three to four months off due to there being some legal issues that needed to be handled between Duel Academy and Misgarth. Prince Ojin's father and his government officials were not at all pleased at the destruction of their satellite and demanded compensation. They weren't paying a dime since the satellite was a death machine. Seto Kaiba was being dragged into this because he owned Duel Academy, and also had his own satellite. They were also dragging the duel academy staff in for allowing the Society of Light to exist without permission which pulled Sartorius and Sarina in. Aster was pulled into a different case involving the D who was discovered to have been involved in several missing persons cases over the years.

Chancellor Sheppard would not have any of the other students pulled into this, so he had them go home. However, they were to answer to online lectures, quizzes and tests in order to keep their education going.

"You bet you're right! Nothing stops the Chazz! I practically single-handedly defeated the Society of Light on my own and won the Genex tournament by myself!" Chazz gloated.

Jona softly smiled at this childish confidence. "I was informed that you won the Genex tournament, but Vivian told me that it was Jaden and his friends who defeated Sartorius and destroyed the satellite."

"Uh! Uhm...Yeah, but I was the one who bought the Blue dorm back!" The teen made it sound like that was the biggest victory of the battle, and Jona let him have his moment.

"So how have you been feeling? You lost a few good friends this year."

Chazz's mood immediately dropped by that reminder, but it was something he had been wanting to talk about. "More like the only two friends I ever really had. Atticus, Jaden and the others are my friends, but Bastion and Zane were the only ones who knew the truth, and they helped me a lot in healing. They took care of me selflessly and waited for me to be okay with myself before I can be open about it with them. They did so much for me, and the moment I felt threatened, I turned around and stabbed them."

"Though Zane did have it coming. He was well aware of how incredibly sensitive you were about the truth of your suicide attempts going out, but he didn't care."

"Yeah. I know I shouldn't blame myself, but just a few days after he lost to Aster and lost his edge, I let myself get brainwashed by Sartorius."

"Do you remember the specific reason why you did that?"

Chazz looked down at the coffee table between them. His reflection could be seen on the shiny wooden surface. "I..." He remembered the flashbacks and unlike Alexis, he remembered it clearly. "I wanted my powers to become stronger so I could help them. I know it was stupid now, but if only I had better control of them, I could've cured Jaden. I could've been able to reach out to Zane to stop him from becoming the guy he is now."

"Do you understand what your powers is capable of doing?"

"Uhm, yeah. I kind of looked up on this wiki article about super powers, and I think I have it narrowed down to energy manipulation, but more centered around light instead of darkness, so I can't really manipulate dark energy or darkness. I can heal people and plants and fix objects in various ways. I bet if I tried, I could make people youthful again, but I'm not a fan of immortality. Not with how the population is multiplying. It'd be a nightmare. I can also teleport things like my clothes like a magician or a witch in those television shows would do. I can change the colors of things like your blouse. I can turn it from white to purple if I want. I can read other people's duel energy and other spirit energies if I wanted to, but I don't really do it because I don't want to use my powers that involve other people."

"Because you're scared of growing attached?"

Chazz answered, "More like I don't want to make myself feel like I could owned them. I saved Atticus' life because I felt his energy and I just couldn't let him die for Zane's sake. I made myself forget or downplayed that I did something miraculous because I know deep down, it made me feel like I was entitled to something. I made myself forget about it. That was it. That was done. But now I did it to Zane. I transferred enough of my energy to him to let him live at least a year or two, and after the Society of Light nonsense is gone, I am always thinking about when I should go and save his life. Every day, I'm thinking, 'Is he going to die today?', and whether I should just follow him around and then I began thinking that maybe I should change his memories. Maybe I should brainwash him so he won't die, Syrus will be happy, and we can be friends again."

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing."

"But I would be taking away his free will, right? Zane made the choice to go dark unlike me who would've been brainwashed either way after losing that duel!"

"But didn't Sartorius fool you into thinking you had a choice in the first place."

Chazz thought on that, and remembered that that was true. "...Yeah. But still, we made our choices. Now that I have these powers, I feel the temptation to abuse them for my own happiness. I don't want to do that. I could honestly brainwash Zane and Bastion to become my friends again, but..."

"And what is the problem with that? You just changed one decision. They still have the choices of what to do with it. We all get manipulated without knowing it, but we still have the feeling that we have free will. What is free will, Chazz? What is that to you?"

"..."

Chazz looked at her, and then looked up at the ceiling. The intermale closed her eyes and remembered the white room with the manipulative monster. The way it tried to cleanse her of all her memories and the emotions it came with it just so she could love it and it alone. But she couldn't. She couldn't love it no matter how much of a blank slate that she became.

It's a horrifying memory, but Chazz worked to not be afraid.

"I guess by the dictionary term, it's something like having the ability to make your own choices without it being dictated. But if you're asking me to go all philosophical on you, then it's all about defying destiny, which seemed to have been the theme this school year. Maybe we're destined to fight against a so-called verbalized destiny, but whether that destiny was set by us or it was set on us, who knows. Just that it felt like there was free-will in the end, and that's an awesome feeling." He relished at how he took down the rest of the society of light members with the Genex tournament win to boot. "Maybe we're all still brainwashed, but I don't want to be the person behind that."

"So all of this sums up to how you feel."

"Ditto. If I'm going to be selfish, it's going to be like this."

"Good." Jona was glad to hear that Chazz could think through his problems, and choose the better of bad options. She then asked, "How are you feeling, Chazz? I noticed that you haven't eaten the macarons I had set for you." She pointed at the colorful cookies on the coffee table.

"Sorry. It's just that I weirdly can't taste or smell anything."

"Must be your jacket's fault."

"No it isn't! Don't you dare insult the jacket of the Chazz!" He cleared his throat. "So back to your job, I'm feeling better than before."

"That much is obvious. Let's set that aside. How do you really feel here in the present?"

Chazz took a moment to process his emotions over his own world right now. He shrugged, and answered, "I'm not feel very the Chazz right now. I'm scared everyday of myself. I fucked up with my life, and I have fucked up hidden memories. And I might ignore all the help I have already because I'm trying to prove myself, and look where I am now."

"Breathing with friends and family ready to back you up on your mistakes and scold you to make sure you don't do it again."

Chazz knew that was true, but he still very much saw himself as a danger to everyone including himself. He wanted to seal his powers again, but Zane might die, and he might need his powers again like how he was able to seal the reaper for the sake of his North Academy followers. "Yeah, I have a good life. Sorry, I can't appreciate that."

"Then you better start if you want to give yourself a real reason to smile against the pain. A good family, blood-related or not, is all one can ever highly expect to have for happiness and security." Jona let those words sink down before moving forward. "So far, you impress me, Chazz Princeton. You did do a fatal mistake that costed you your closest friends, but afterwards, you did think over it for your sake and their sake which is perfectly healthy and normal, and shows that you have the potential to be a better friend than most who would rather bury their sins. Have you had any episodes of depression?"

Chazz did like the compliments, and answered after giving the question a thought. "Since I was brainwashed for a majority of the school year, no. And the sugar pills helps me feel emotionally stable."

"That's good to hear that you have been keeping your emotions in check. I supposed our sessions ends for today. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Yeah..." The two shared a hug, and Jona gave him a kiss on his cheek before she left.

Chazz went to his room to get on his laptop to do his school work. Everything was fine until he was in the middle of it. Everything around him just stopped appealing to him. He knew what was happening, so he powered through his work, feeling exhausted and sleepy once he was finished. He began to feel insecure about who and what he was, his brain making him ashamed of his past, and scared of the future. He just let it happen. He can't fight this even with his powers. He just had to wait out this torture while he lied down on his bed. He honestly hoped his family wouldn't bother him because he won't tell them. He would want to instead force himself to act like everything was okay because he couldn't put himself above their needs or wants. They would notice the signs though or his duel spirits would tell them, and they would leave him alone until he needed at least some food or sunlight to remain healthy and alive.

And thus he waited.

 _"You're worthless."_

She waited.

 _"Remember when you did this with Bastion and Zane, and look where you are now."_

He waited.

 _"Why aren't you doing anything?! You are worthless after all!"_

She waited.

 _"You have no future. Your dueling skills are a joke. No one is going to hire you."_

He waited. Jagger and Slade sat down by his side, gave him a gentle rub on the arm, and he cried a bit as he waited.

 _"You're being a burden. You're not good enough for anything. Just ignore your school work. Ignore your life. Ignore breathing. Just stop it."_

She waited. She mustered enough strength to eat, to use the restroom, to brush her teeth, and to change her clothes. She finally lied down and felt exhausted and hated herself for lying down and not doing anything. She didn't have the energy to cry. She just wanted to sleep it off, but her insecurities kept her awake as she waited.

"Meow."

Chazz knew there shouldn't be a real life cat in the mansion. Especially not one with gray eyes and had its black and white fur colors split in half symmetrically. She should be startled, but she couldn't muster any energy to react. The cat moved its head to the side as if telling her to follow. Chazz didn't want to, but forced her lazy body to follow because she held the cat above her needs.

The two went to the door leading up to the attic where Chazz had strangely never been into before. It should be locked, but it seemed to have been left open with the security off. She followed the cat up the stairs, and entered the attic that was empty of anything, except for a painting of a younger Chazz sitting down with the cat on her lap, and there were two other women standing beside him. The one on the left was a black woman who had a big grin that showed that she was a bit of a joker, but the way she stood with her arm on top of the chair, and her slim yet muscular body leaned closer to Chazz showed that she was a protective and strong, caring person. She also happened to wear an ancient Egyptian attire, which made Chazz assumed she was of Egyptian decent. The other to the right was a dark tan woman who Chazz assumed must be of Indian decent from the way she was traditionally dressed for the painting. This woman stood with her hands grasped together, and she gave a reserved smile which showed that she was a very mature, well-mannered woman who would not be taken down by sticks, stones, or even words. No doubt, she must be working in a very stressful yet fulfilling job.

Chazz thought that she should feel daunted that she didn't remember either of these women, and the cat in the painting was right here. She remembered about a war, and usually she would be terrified at the memory, but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. She was still waiting to get out of feeling that way.

The cat tapped at the corner of the painting as if gesturing to remove it. Chazz sighed and did. She found a locked safe expecting a password. She lazily put her name and it opened. Inside, she found an intricately designed mini treasure chest with a dragon made of half of light and half of darkness placed above it as if it was a guardian. There were two more dragons. One of pure darkness and the other of pure light who stood at the sides of the loosened lock.

She took it out, and opened it to find duel monsters cards that were...burned.

 _Song: Possible World Theory - Gumi covered by Anna, Beck, Hotaru, and Lucy_

There was a storm going on in Domino City. Joey was staring at it through the Kaiba mansion's window. "Geeze. It really is a storm. The raindrops are practically bullets trying to get in." He shivered at the memory of having to fly through such a storm before. Last time, he got a cold no matter how much of a dragon he was.

Seto Kaiba took a sip of his hot tea while reading a book by the fireplace. "You're exaggerating. Domino City seen tougher rain."

"Yeah. When the clouds used ta rain duel monsters." The blond remembered back to the time Dartz tried to rule the world. Those were simpler times.

The room was suddenly filled with the beat of a phone ringing. Kaiba answered it. "Kaiba." He greeted curtly, but then his calm composure slipped when he heard Jagger's voice on the other line. He stood up, dropping his book and tea onto the floor. "What do you mean he's gone?!"

Jagger answered, "He left without a word, and what's worse, he found the chest where we hid his old deck. Your family has the powers and the skills to track him down, so please find him." His voice was steady, but the fear was evident behind it.

"Leave it to me. I'll call when I find him." Kaiba hung up, and got Joey to get Noe to help them track Chazz down.

He could be anywhere, except he was actually nearby. Chazz was walking along the street of Domino city drenched by the heavy rain showers, and his inner organs trembled for warmth by the chilling winds that threatened to break down the things around him without a care if he would be harmed or killed by it. He didn't care either as his lost memories flooded his mind. Each and every one of the people he loved appeared by his sides as he walked closer and closer to his destination.

He could remember Renee. The person he used to be, and the person who was in love with Jaden. A hallucination of her was holding onto his jacket as they walked. A hallucination of a child Jaden was standing far behind them, watching them leave him behind. Renee did look back, but Chazz didn't. He kept walking.

Eventually he was before a door, and knocked on it. He waited, and as he did, a hallucination of an ten-year-old girl with blue violet hair put into a bob haircut looked at him with the loveliest of aquamarine eyes. She took Renee's hand, and they walked away.

The door opened to reveal Critias who opened it, Hermos and Timaeus who were right behind him, and Levy who just wheeled up to see who it was. All of their facial expressions dropped at the sight of his heart broken form that held a familiar mini treasure chest in his ice cold hands.

Chazz whimpered as his emotions finally came back, "Levy..."

._._._.

A/N: Glad to hear that you'll still be with me, **Guest**! Hopefully college won't keep me too busy from getting through the long awaited season 3!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N:

 **THIS** chapter is a set up for my version of season 3.

Heh..heh...for those with good memories of what I've written, I did some very small edits to fix the timeline where Chazz went to Duel Academy at 16 instead of 15 to fit the decrease of school years I gave Duel Academy. So instead of 4, it's 3.

Thus, it'll be Chazz's last year once he gets back to school, and he's 18.

._._._.

For billions upon billions of years, the white hole made of the Light's energy was a living hell within itself as all the souls cried out in melodious agony. It had once spilled toxic light throughout the universe, but only because she tried to contain the Harsh Darkness, which resulted in small atomic explosions that would take place in the desolated part of space.

Now that the Harsh Darkness was gone, the white hole was allowed to do as it pleased. It terrorized the Neo-spacian's territory, but only for a little plot made on Earth. After it's role was done, it went back to the desolated part of the universe, playing with its prisoners who she deemed worthy of her punishments.

It didn't mind if it were to remain in that desolated place for the next billions upon billions of years to come.

However, a red meteorite thought otherwise, and used the force that it had accumulated throughout those billions of years to pierce through the hole, and shattered its hold on the toxic souls. The chaos inducing energy rained across the universe. One such soul was Yubel's in her space pod that shot through the space, and disappeared.

The Light's human body grabbed hold of her heart. She couldn't react when tremendous pain shot through her, and she fell dead.

Crimson, who was in the middle of helping people evacuate from a volcanic eruption, paused when she saw a white light dropped into the mouth of the oozing mountain, which caused it to erupt lava into the sky and rain down on the people. The dragon quickly created a shield in the sky. She knew that was her grandmother's essence, and she was about to head over to her, but the woman appeared at her side instead as a spirit.

"Weeeeeeeee may have a problem."

"Fuck."

._._._.

 _Song: The More Precious the Burden, Heavier and More Difficult... - Kamagata Eiichi from Gintama_

Critias, Timaeus, Hermos, and Levy never expected Chazz to be standing at her doorway soaking wet from the storm, and cold as a winter statue. They were horrified to see the familiar treasure chest in his hands.

"Levy..." Chazz whimpered. He breathed shakily. He felt his heart tried to stop its beating since it desired to be on the verge of giving out. He forced himself to utter his words, "He's gone." His lungs ached and forced him to breathe as he spoke, "Light and Darkness Dragon... He's gone. All of you searched for him..." He remembered those soft conversations near him. "I searched in me, too, but he's not there." His shoulders trembled. Tears dripping into the puddle underneath him. "And I ca-ca-can't power the last glass piece without him. I can't power it without him. I want to die," His hands hardened its grasp on the chest. "To be where he is, but I don't want to leave you guys. I..."

He fell on his knees on the floor as the memories with Light and Darkness Dragon flooded his mind. The memories of when the two of them met face to face on his sixth birthday. The memories of the two of them having fun together with everyone else. The memories of cheering each other up and comforting the other, and sharing each other's dreams and passions and looking forward to the days ahead. They were supposed to go to Duel Academy together. They were supposed to share birthdays together. They were supposed to be together.

But he disappeared, and Chazz can't see himself getting strong again to bring him back to life. He saw death as the next option, but he didn't want to kill himself or else his partner's sacrifice would've been in vain, and he didn't want to give more grief to the others who they both loved with all their hearts.

Especially to Levy who saw herself as the villain.

The woman who was no longer twelve felt her face clenched up and burn as the water in her eyes swelled and covered her lap. She was about to apologize, but then she saw Chazz's feet before he laid the chest on her lap, and then she felt his wet sleeves dampened her shoulders. His chilled cheek touched her heated one. "It's not your fault." He told her lowly as if it were a secret. He spoke the thoughts he had been meaning to say all those years ago. "None of us are at fault. We did the best we could as kids. We weren't even thirteen. We were just kids who were confused and afraid, and I'm so relieved that you're alive, Levy."

"But I-"

"You did nothing but try your best to be strong against a demon ten times stronger than you, but you were able to break through that, and save me. We could've been all dead if it weren't for you saving my life." He leaned away to cup her cheeks, so she would concentrate on him. "Thank you." He took her hands and placed them on his chest. The feeling of his heartbeat thumping strong, alive. "We thank you for saving our universe."

Levy stared at this in disbelief, but she saw his eyes softly glow an angelic silver that she hadn't seen for far too long. From her hand, she could feel Chazz's sincere, gracious feelings for her.

She felt those feelings soak into hers, and overflow it with love she denied herself. She sniffed before she spoke, "I miss him. I miss Light and Darkness Dragon."

Chazz gave a curt nod with a soft gaze. "I miss him, too, but I know for sure that he'd be so glad that he'd be in tears if he saw us like this."

Levy shortly laughed at that. Light and Darkness Dragon was always a sucker for happy endings and beginnings.

The two gazed in each other's eyes with a smile on their messy faces. They both didn't know the truth of what happened to Light and Darkness Dragon, but deep down, they had a feeling that he was okay. They laid their hands on the small chest that was on Levy's lap and gave a kiss to the Light and Darkness Dragon statue.

 _Song: Hope In Front Of Me - Danny Gokey_

The two cleaned themselves up with the Legendary Knight's help, and they talked about what Levy had been doing since after the war. Chazz didn't say much since apparently Levy knew everything that he did through Vivian who Levy became friends with.

Chazz didn't want to talk about Jaden just yet, and Levy respected that. The duelist was still grieving, so talking about a lost childhood love didn't seem appropriate.

The two then went to bed together like they did in their slumber parties before, while the chest was placed on the nightstand.

Within Chazz's soul as they slept, the ballerina walked into the black room where Jun, Jaswinder, and Xiaoling welcomed her back in tears.

"Oh Chazz! I'm so glad that you are okay!" Jun hugged her so hard that Chazz thought her soul's bones would crack.

"Yes! We are glad to see that despite regaining your memories and the painful realizations, you aren't suffering from shock." Jaswinder sighed in relief.

Chazz told them, "I already kind of had an idea of what my memories were, so I already braced myself for it. Don't get me wrong. I'm still in so much pain over Light and Darkness Dragon's...disappearance, but he's a part of me, so in the next life, we'll be together again. And when we do, I'll tell him all about the Chazz's Chazz-tastic life! He'll be so dazzled, and he'll..." The teen stopped as the pain and doubt began to settle in. She forced herself to not sink deep into that pessimistic thought, and focused on the positive.

She looked over to Xiaoling. "I saw you earlier."

The cat leered at them. "I've been able to do that after you got the third piece back, and I tested it out. It turns out that because you aren't of full power, we cannot become solid without taking away one of your five senses. I take away taste, and that might've lessened your ability to smell."

"Fascinating." Jaswinder thought on that. "But why haven't we been able to project ourselves as spirits?"

The feline answered, "I don't know. I came out perfectly solid when I projected myself."

"Then it must have something to do with the fourth piece." Jun pointed out, and the glass pieces appeared in front of the speck of lights. One piece gravitated towards Jun, another to Jaswinder, and the third to Xiaoling. The fourth piece stayed levitating where it was, but it was undoubtedly Chazz's. "My own is powered through the happiness you feel."

"My own is powered through the tranquility you obtained." The doctor said.

"Mine is powered through pride." Xiaoling spoke. Everyone stared at her dubiously. She shrugged and explained, "My species are related to lions after all." And there was that pun.

"And yours is powered through love, Chazz." Jaswinder told her. "However, yours is split into three pieces. It's a long shot, but perhaps, you will need to combine them into one. If not, we can live with it."

"I've been in here longer than these two, so trust me, we'll be fine." Jun told Chazz reassuringly with a pat on her shoulder.

Chazz felt a bit of pressure, yet she understood. She stayed where she stood, and closed her eyes to solely concentrate on her feelings. Her glass piece split because her love for others was distorted by her incomplete memories. Now that she had all her memories, Chazz remembered the war, and how everyone she loved and other innocent people suffered. The guilt came crashing down on her, but then she felt six hands holding onto her neck, arms and legs.

 _Song: Cold Water - Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MO_

Jun had her memories of the battles she fought throughout the endless wars flow through Chazz's mind and made him feel the feelings she felt with the justifications that she fought to protect others.

Jaswinder had her memories of treating wounded warriors after the war flow through her mind, and the feelings she felt when she got them to their families, yet incomplete in some way. She also passed on her feelings of being unable to cheat death, but it also came with the feelings and justifications of doing the best she could do, and allowing nature and fate to happen.

Xiaoling sent her memories of hanging out with war's incomplete or changed survivors and how they fight the day, but it wasn't everyday. There were those special days of just being completely fine with a few apprehensive feelings. She gave the feeling of strength to make those days happen.

They all gave their newest incarnation the strength and understanding to make the memories of wars weigh lighter on her soul.

Chazz understood and accepted their feelings because they experienced what they made her see and feel. They knew what was best, so when they let go, she had her body clothed in the ballerina outfit that Light and Darkness Dragon always had her dressed in, and she danced in homage to all who died or suffered from the war.

As she did, the storm on Domino City dissipated to reveal the night sky that became blanketed by an aurora. Other parts of the world where the war survivors or the families of the loss lived at also received an aurora whether it was during the day or night.

Levy woke up by a feeling that something was calling out to her. She looked over to Chazz to see her asleep, and then saw a curtain of colors in the sky. She felt it calling out to her, so she got on her wheelchair to get to the balcony. The legendary knights did the same along with the survivors and families who looked up at the sky. They didn't know why, but they felt like this was a gift to them. A majority of them felt like they were given a message of apologies, a message of appreciation for their amazing strength of just breathing, and a message that the horrible event was truly over.

Almost eight years had passed by since the war, and the old wounds felt freshly opened, yet this time they healed up correctly because they truly are reassured by a higher power that they are safe from the monster who took that security from them. All that was left for them were scars that would hurt from time to time, but they weren't too hard to look at anymore. The majority of them could breathe a little more while a few looked away to keep their unsettled rage.

Chazz felt the majority's pain, love, fear and insecurities, and acceptance. She got on her knees to give her apologies and her respects to all of them. She wanted to do more than just send pretty lights in the sky. As if they could feel her desperate need to give and why she wanted to, Chazz could also feel that they were happy to know that she acknowledged them, and that she held up her end to stop the monstrosity that caused all of this.

It was about time that the majority of them accepted the vague dark past, and that it was over.

The three glass pieces in front of him combined and formed into one.

 _Song: Believe - All American Rejects_

Chazz was lying down in the black room with a wondering look in her eyes as she asked her past incarnations, "Do I deserve their forgiveness? They don't know the truth."

Jun answered, "That depends if that's a good or bad thing. Since the majority that was kidnapped were children, the media was told that this was an act of a terrorist group hoping to raise these children as their soldiers while kidnapping adults for ransom or slavery. Now compare that to the truth, which is that a monstrous entity known as the Harsh Darkness slipped into this universe in order to find the speck of light, so it could create its own universe that would terrorize us at a multi-universal level, and then we hit to the whole this is my story. And I got killed before I could do something. The card couldn't work, so Jaswinder and Xiaoling couldn't do it. You could, but you were still only a child, and you needed to become stronger, but you got kidnapped, and the bastard realized that it couldn't take you unless you dueled, or even make a universe unless you loved it, but you didn't and you won," She lovingly ran her fingers through Chazz's hair, "And then the war took place."

Xiaoling purred, "But you are thinking that you shouldn't have an excuse since we, the ones responsible for the life given, should be omniscient and all powerful. But in order to be all powerful, we have to be in complete control of everything. Also, one should know all that happened, happens, and will happen in order to be omniscient. However, even if only one timeline contains the speck of light, your future does not exist yet. Everything is an improvised moment, and the word destiny is just a predictable guess made true. And thus, you cannot travel to your future, but you may travel to parallel dimensional futures where you aren't the speck of light. You can travel to the past, but the dimension that the war took place existed without time, so Crimson can't do anything about it. She could go back in time to prevent Yubel from stabbing Jun, but then altering history is tricky, and may bring about worst consequences, which Crimson will not subject to this world, or allow anyone to do that."

"Talk about fate and time travel can confuse a person." Jaswinder pointed out. "Let's be forward. Chazz, we're not powerful, and people will have to accept that. Yes, we have godly powers, but we are limited because of the free-will we bestowed upon the universe who will do as it pleases while trying to reach a balance. You already told Levy that she didn't have to feel guilty anymore, so do yourself the same."

"I know that." Chazz did know that, but, "I just don't want it to be so easy. My life was a living hell for over half a decade, but I was ignorantly blissful to the real problems, and I haven't actually done anything that really warrants forgiveness."

"So...what exactly are your sins?" Jun questioned. "What did you do wrong on purpose?"

"..."

Chazz couldn't answer at first. She felt guilty since the war took place because she existed. However, if it was someone else, and Chazz lost Jagger, Slade or Light and Darkness Dragon just because an evil entity did something horrible just because someone existed, Chazz wouldn't blame that someone. They didn't ask for it to happen. They weren't aware it was happening since the Light was supposed to keep it away from the Earth until they were ready. They were blindsided.

"I guess I just want them to know the truth, and I want to know if they really can forgive me for making the war exist in the first place, or they need me to do something to earn their forgiveness."

"I bet plenty of politicians with a heart would wish for that, too." The specks of light lied against Chazz. "But you know it'll be savage to let them remember that their kidnapping was worse than they thought, so to spare them, you'll just have to live with the curiosity, and not let it kill Xiaoling. That'll be your punishment. Satisfied?"

Chazz figured that Jun made a good point. It was either he made people remember the horrendous war and he knew the truth, or let them live in blissful ignorance, and he'll die curious. The decision was obvious. "Fine. I'll live with it."

._._._.

Crimson was being stretched thin by how she had to multiply by the thousands in order to hurry up and collect the Light's energy throughout the twelve dimensions by either dueling or manipulating it.

She informed Kaiba about this, and his first concern was Yubel since the Light had her prisoner in the white hole. Now that the white hole was gone, that meant Yubel was free.

Crimson already did the search, but she was unable to find Yubel anywhere between the distance of the desolated part of space to Earth. Incapable of finding her, she theorized that she couldn't because Yubel was filled with the toxic light, and traveled through space that was filled with a variety of unpredictable conditions. Thus, the dragon used her temporal awareness, and she learned that Yubel did travel through time, but it was traveling in so many times throughout different dimensions that Crimson couldn't pinpoint when Yubel landed on Earth.

Kaiba called Kane Perasma, who ran the number one illegal organization in the world, to find information, but they weren't likely to get any since the only survivor to find Yubel was Viper who erased any evidence of the mission existing. It was also such a small mission that its disappearance flew over the government's head.

They had no idea that Yubel was currently at West Academy, and getting ready to take back Jaden.

._._._.

The next morning, Chazz's duel monsters were all tearful and doing their best to be supportive after being told the truth from Timaeus. Critias had called Chazz's brothers and the others, which led to the Princetons, the Kaiba family, Vivian, Crimson, and the Light, who was oddly in spirit form, showing up. They were all concerned for how he was doing. Chazz told them that he was in a lot of pain and confusion over Light and Darkness Dragon not being around, but he wasn't going to cry all day. He'll save that for the pillows. He wanted to do something. He felt like he needed to makeup for what he put everyone through, and was willing to do just that.

Knowing that it was best not to deny a person in need to do something to cope, the others wondered if they could start by having a reunion party first. However, the only one capable of bring the people from the after life back to the living for a day or two was Crimson who couldn't at the moment. Her mission was kept a secret since she didn't want to panic Levy or Chazz at the idea of Yubel hunting after them.

She just told him that she went through a huge mission so she wouldn't be able to do it for awhile. Chazz understood and didn't mind. He brightened the mood by showing everyone his ability to bring back his past incarnation but also the consequences that came with it.

Crimson and the Legendary Knights were in tears when they saw them in their solid form. Chazz agreed to let them run wild for a day, which he didn't mind since he knew how to live with being deaf-blind for awhile. He spent his time having a hand-signed conversation with Levy about more details about her work and Chazz's school work. His past incarnations wanted to hit a dance club with a bar, where they went wild. Jun did a drinking contest with Hermos, Slade, Joey, and others who were wild enough to join, and she was still drinking in the end. Jaswinder had intelligent conversations Jagger, Critias, Seto and the other geniuses over different topics. Xiaoling was dominating the dance floor besides Vivian, Tea and Yugi who were sent over by Joey. It was a wild, amazing party before they had to go back.

Then the next day, Chazz learned about how his brothers and Kaiba helped the survivors jump start their life by providing educational opportunities for the children while providing donations to pay for their therapy and medications to deal with their softened trauma. This also applied to the adults, but with added job opportunities provided, which was something Slade already did for war veternans. Families of the deceased was a more delicate situation since people wanted to grieve differently, so those who lived in a community together were provided institutions in the name of their loved ones. Others had their loved one's funerals and lawyers. They also paid for certain bills for half a year to give time for a family member to get a job. Only one person left children behind, so Kaiba had them put into a good orphanage.

Chazz figured that was why a majority of them were okay with forgiving him since his brothers and Kaiba already helped them live a decent life. However, he was also informed that very few did enter the life of a criminal despite being provided these. They let them go since there was no point in helping those who refuse it.

With all that, Chazz wondered what he could possibly do. They told him that he could do a lot when he became a pro-duelist since they are the most influential celebrities out there. He could act as an advocate for mental illness awareness and other awareness after he gained popularity. That sounded like a good idea, so Chazz just had to try his best to become the best pro-duelist to give back to everyone.

For now, he needed to strengthen his bonds with everyone again, so for the next four months away from Duel Academy, he did just that. He danced with Tea, he dueled against Yugi and got dueling tips after losing, he joked around with Joey, played with Shunme with Mokuba and Noe, played chess with Kaiba on his free time and lost every round, watched soccer with Slade despite being bored, and went through the tea ceremony with Jagger. His duel spirits would pop in and out when they were interested. He would also allow Jun, Jaswinder or Xiaoling to wonder around in their physical form and have their fun when they saw something they really wanted to do whenever he didn't need one of his senses.

Chazz even hung out with Levy and Vivian. As former children of war, they talked about their triggers and nightmares.

Vivian's nightmares were more centered around a beat of a song, but after Crimson regained her strength, the Kaiba family and her created a machine that sent out strong signals that erased the song from everyone's mind. Vivian's mind was stronger than the signal, so it only erased the words, and lowered the beat, but sometimes she can still hear it faintly in her dreams, and her arms would start hurting. Her body would be drenched in cold sweat, and she would lie completely still until she woke up and different music would begin playing to drown it out. She hadn't been triggered by anything since.

Levy's nightmares revolved more around Yubel. After the war, she had nightmares of the monster hurting other people, and then the monster would scream and scream in agony. It stopped eventually, but she still dreamed about being possessed and hurting people. She knew she could soften these nightmares if she just had her memories tampered with, but she didn't want to forget. She wanted to fight against this. For her triggers, she cannot put on a duel disk. She can't hold the handle of a knife either. She can look at it and work around it, but she didn't want to get involved, and she can't even duel normally, too. She hadn't held a duel monster card since then. Kaiba kept her around for her strategic marketing smarts.

Chazz told them about how he had nightmares about being stuck in the white room and only seeing the Harsh Darkness every time, and how he tried to manipulate him. It was such an often dream, that he didn't react. However, if he was to be isolated or be told that he was incapable of loving, or being called "impure", he would feel that nightmare form more vividly. However, now that his past incarnations were around, he felt safer.

After that, they did anything they could think of doing like playing video games, watching movies, joining a program to learn how to dance with a wheelchair partner, and also apparently pushing Chazz off the Eiffel tower.

"WHAT THE HELL, VIVIAN!" Chazz yelled, hanging off the ledge. Levy was cruelly magnetized at her place, so she couldn't help.

"I gave you two months to get your shit together. Now, I figured it's about time you accepted your powers."

"I thought I already told you that I don't want to because I am a dangerous hazard!"

"Oh boo hoo. Chazz it was just one fuckin' mistake."

"Have you never heard of-ugh-ONE BAD DEED LEADS TO ANOTHER! I can't trust myself! I'm only keeping my powers unlocked because Zane might drop any moment because of his deck! Besides, what would I need them for? The Harsh Darkness is gone, and all the bad guys are aimed at Jaden! And he can-ugh-handle...it."

Vivian thinned her lips at him. "Can't you teleport?"

Chazz stopped struggling to hold his grip. "Oh...right." He teleported beside her, looking composed with his arms crossed despite feeling humiliated. "I still stand by what I said."

"And you're full of bullshit. Jaden didn't save Atticus life, or is making sure Zane is alive. The Harsh Darkness might be gone, but there are still fucked up people out there that can't be handled by Jaden or your daughter from another life."

"Okay, maybe you do have a good point, but I could become that fucked up person, too. Maybe not always, but I don't want to be stealing memories, and torturing or KILLING people because I panicked or some shit. The future is unpredictable, and even someone like Jaswinder can lose their composure."

"Then put a fuckin' limiter on. I have one to keep my psychic powers in check so I don't have brains explodin' all over the place."

"Limiter?"

Levy explained, "It's basically like having an emergency safe switch inside you that'll turn on if your emotions take a deadly turn." She looked uncomfortable and pleading to not be questioned of why she knew that.

Vivian added, "So basically, if you panic, feel depressed, or furious, your powers will shut itself out."

"But what if I panic because I feel attacked and need my powers to protect me?"

"There are different types of panic triggers." Levy pointed out. "Take for instance, you panicked when Atticus revealed he knew about your suicide attempts. It was more of a psychological panic than a physical one. The limiter is capable of differentiating between the two, but it will make sure you don't blast a deadly lightning strike, but just a simple electrical stun will be allowed."

"Who puts these limiters on?"

"Noe and her past incarnation, Noemi." Vivian answered. "They're experts on the mechanics of spiritual energy. They suck at emotions, but they understand the biological aspect of it, so you can trust them."

Chazz thought about it. Her past incarnations appeared, and thought it would be a good idea because it was important for Chazz to at least be knowledgeable of her powers, so she could use them for dire situations.

She was still hesitant because she shared her powers with Light and Darkness Dragon. He was her armor, her wings, her voice of reason; they were asking her to try to master this on her own. Be her own armor, wings, and voice of reason. She didn't have that kind of hopeful confidence in her.

 _Song: Glassy Sky - Donna Burke covered by Amalee from Tokyo Ghoul_

Chazz needed time to think, and they allowed her to go back home and be left alone to her thoughts. The ballerina went to her room, that was heavily decorated with pictures of her childhood before the war. Each and every one of them had her and Light and Darkness Dragon in it in his solid form during a duel, or his spirit form outside of one. Crimson gave them a special camera that could snap a perfect clear image of spirits.

The sight always made her breathe heavily. At her nightstand was the mini-treasure chest holding her original burned deck. Her brothers had the replica, but she couldn't hold it, much less look at it since it would be like looking at a replicated doll of Light and Darkness Dragon. It looked the same with the same mechanics, but it was lifeless like a corpse.

"So Vivian acted like the crazy bitch I figured she'd be when she proposed that we went to France." She told the chest like she had every other night and morning since she remembered its significance. "She wants me to learn how to use my powers, and I told her no." She told the burned remains of her beloved duel spirits and traps and spells all about what happened earlier, and then asked, "Should I train my powers? You were always better at getting a hand of it since you were a mystical dragon and all, and I was basically this really showy brat..." She lied back down and saw her vision blur a bit. "If you were with me, I wouldn't have done those stupid things..." She bit her lower lip that trembled. She let it go to take a deep breath, but lost control of her eyes that leaked without permission.

She sat up and felt like she couldn't stay still. She looked over to the chest, and she just wanted him to appear. She just wanted for the cards to be fixed, and for his soul to appear just so she could hear his voice. Just to hear his rumblings like soft thunder, and his sweet, wary thoughts that'd warm her core. She just needed three-no-five seconds at best, just to know he's okay. She just needed to know that he was somewhere, anywhere beyond her comprehension, and it was a good place. He could be suffering, and she wouldn't know.

"Just give me a sign or something." She softly begged in a whisper as if she was speaking forbidden words. "Did you scatter across the cosmos or are you still here inside me, and I just haven't found you yet. Do I have to make the last glass piece glow just to know? Can I do that? Please, tell me I can."

She stared at the small statue of him, begging for it to move.

"Please."

._._._.

 _Chazz found himself standing within a coliseum, and right in front of him was the Harsh Darkness wearing its own version of a duel disk. It was put together by the flesh and bones, and teeth of the children it killed before putting its sole focus on Chazz. The interboy looked down at his arm to see his own duel disk, and right beside him was the Light and Darkness Dragon facing off the wicked creations the monster made within its billions of years of evolving._

 _Chazz looked to his side, and saw his past incarnations dodging three swords controlled by a possessed Levy, but what took his eye was the sight of a silver bullet coming his way. He froze up just as the Harsh Darkness played his card that attacked him, and Chazz thought he was going to be killed by the bullet, but then a portal appeared between them, and it teleported behind Levy. Chazz saw her fall to the ground, and he was dumbfounded to the point that he forgot that he was in the middle of a life-and-death match. He saw a gust of darkness with sweltering temperatures dry his eyes and roast his skin, and right before him, he saw the Gentle Darkness took form from his shadow to slow down the man's claws before it pierced his chest. Chazz watched the shadow be destroyed and the claws appear only for a second. He felt his chest clench around the sharp tips, urging it to get out._

 _Jun, Jaswinder, and Xiaoling appeared with the three swords in hand, and tried to cut the monster, but it proved too flexible, yet Chazz could feel that they were at least able to distract him from going in deeper. Light and Darkness Dragon took form as his armor, and formed a laser cannon in his chest to allow its vicious attacks to blast into the man's arm, forcing it to let go. The man struck with its other arms, but the Light appeared and gravitated his attacks towards her. She took the brunt of the attacks until the card successfully made every single drop of the Harsh Darkness leave._

 _Chazz felt it's claw extract itself, and everything began to darken. Yet, he could still see...he could hear..._

 _Light and Darkness Dragon giving him one last rumbling thunder, and a sweet, wary goodbye before fading away into stars._

 _Chazz last thought before the darkness consumed him was, "Take me with you..."_

 _Song: Battle Against A True Hero - Toby Fox covered by Bani-chan from Undertale_

"The card needed a sacrifice to form the barriers." Chazz was sitting on the merlon where he attempted suicide.

Jun nodded, having been told his dream.

"And you didn't tell me this earlier because?"

"We carelessly forgot all about that until now since the war had been a tough memory to go through after the brutal impact it had on our souls by the Harsh Darkness. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Our memories were heavily damaged, so I don't blame you...So...If you were at full power, and you faced the Harsh Darkness, then you..."

Jun answered forwardly, "Yes."

"So Yubel did you a good thing, after all."

"I have mixed feelings about that. I am angry at her for putting the universe in jeopardy, but at the same time, if it weren't for her...I wouldn't be here. You must hate me."

Chazz shook his head. "I guess the universe has a funny way of keeping things balanced. It needed the speck of Light to become the barrier, but it couldn't risk losing her, too. That's why we were split into two. You weren't waiting for me to grow up. You were making sure I had enough precious memories. Does anyone else know besides us?" They were also accompanied by Jaswinder and Xiaoling. Each of them sitting on a merlon, watching the twilight.

Jun shook her head. "Not even the Light of Destruction knew, but I did because I saw the effects of the card. I discovered how to play it during the time I discovered my kingdom still stood, so I knew the sacrifice that would come with it. That's why I accepted Judai back. I wanted to go without regrets, and give him Crimson to be our connection across the universe as star-crossed lovers."

"Is Light and Darkness Dragon...is he okay?"

"He's fine." Jaswinder reassured him with a warm smile. "I checked the effects when we could appear once again through your child body. He's numbed to any pain, but he can still feel the love and the memories that he holds for everyone. It's like he's in a coma, but filled with love and happiness. Completely ignorant of problems. The universe can be kind."

Xiaoling let him know, "The reason you nearly died was because the card also took energy from you. Almost to the point it almost took your core, and so, you needed to be revived, and you needed to start from ground zero to regain who you are."

Chazz stared out to the rising sun. Pondering on his next move.

"I can't make this world perfect."

Jun said, "It doesn't want to."

"I may never be strong enough to protect it alone."

Jaswinder said, "It can help itself, and you're never alone."

"I could turn my back on everyone."

Xiaoling said, "They won't let you."

The sun fully rose, and it was a new day.

"I want that limiter."

 _Song: New World - Charice from Final Fantasy 13 part 2_

Chazz still didn't trust himself, so he had Noe place a limiter inside him. She knew how to do it with Noemi, and Crimson was too busy to bring her.

After doing that, the specks of Light went online to figure out the names of the powers that they would teach Chazz. Life-force manipulation was the most fitting since light manipulation didn't cut for all the powers Chazz potentially had, and life master and life lordship took away free-will. Looking through the list, Chazz picked a few that would come in handy. The teenager wanted nothing that dealt with mental manipulation or bringing inanimate objects or people back to life. He liked the idea of bringing duel spirits back to life, but that kind of power would need all five pieces available.

And thus the training began.

Jaswinder, the one with the most self-control, started with helping Chazz be able to control the spiritual energy inside him. She helped him control the electricity that he elicited, and become able to suppress, channel, and shape it. She taught him how to access his medical intuition, which wasn't hard since he was naturally able to do this with Atticus and Zane. He next learned how to use his light to heal others physically.

Jun, the most adventurous, taught him how to do astral projection which allowed his spirit to go around, and through this, he learned how to do remote-healing, so this way could heal Zane from the distance. Jun also taught him how to fight. Chazz was kind of against this. Not because he was a pacifist, but because he rather just punch a non-duelist unconscious and run. He was a duelist first, and hopefully a warrior last.

His other past incarnations had some dueling skills, but they succeed more at dancing, which can be fighting put into an art form, and each of them had their own preferred weapons. Jun went to a knight school, so obviously she preferred the sword and shield, but without them, her hand-to-hand skills were honed by all the fights she had with both humans and duel monsters during her time period in her dimension. Jaswinder's preferred weapons were her madu and her custom-made spear that acted as an electric rod. While Jun was the strongest of the three, Jaswinder was the swiftest to the point that she could become pure lightning. She was trained by Jona, and she had her medical knowledge, so she made up for her lack of strength by knowing how to efficiently strike lethal blows to her enemy while being too quick to touch. Xiaoling was by far the one with the most agility, which she used to completely dodge her opponent's attacks. The cat was a mid-to-far range fighter with average skills on any weapon, except guns. Her preferred weapon being the bazooka, though. If she was forced in close-range combat, she would use mind games to weaken her opponent, and strike their weakest joints with all her might to get them down aka smash their knees, kick their crotch, dislocate their shoulders, snap their fingers, etc.

Chazz was fine with just being the best duelist among the four of them, but Joey convinced him that he should learn self-defense. He already taught him, but that was against only humans. Jun could teach him more, so he begrudgingly accepted. It annoyed him at first, but Jun really had a lot to teach that Vivian joined in to learn with Levy taking notes in the background. The two were made to face different kinds of duel monsters that came to life, and they were to practice how to talk themselves out of the deadly encounter, or fight to get the monster down long enough for them to run.

Chazz wasn't fond of hand-to-hand combat so Jun, after watching a ton of anime, handed him a halberd that acted as an electric rod like Jaswinder's spear, and also a duel disk if Chazz were to touch the center of the blade. The electricity will mend it into a duel disk, so Chazz wouldn't cut himself while playing.

"But won't it be covered in blood?" Chazz didn't plan to go that far, but just in case someone else were to use it.

"Yup!" Jun answered without seeing a problem with that. Who wouldn't want to fight while being covered in the blood of her enemies.

Chazz didn't bother questioning further. He learned how to use the halberd, and he had to admit, he felt suited for it by how versatile it was. It could be used like bo staff, and also spear, but only if he thrusted it forward, and for it to turn into a duel disk was very convenient for him.

He spent the most of his two months learning from Jun and Jaswinder, that he thought Xiaoling had nothing to teach him. But then she approached him on the last week of his vacation while he was in the middle of texting Bernie. North Academy just had their graduation ceremony at the beginning of this month, and he had visited them as a sort of tradition to bid the graduates farewell through a duel and a dance. And Bernie welcomed him with viscarias like usual. Chazz only saw him as a friend from North Academy. Levy surprisingly found him cute when she saw a picture, and that led to Chazz and Vivian teasing the grey romantic, and that shot back at Chazz when Levy accused him of bullying Syrus because he was in love with him. Vivian just called them hopeless souls, and they couldn't hit back at her since she had no romantic interests.

Chazz did give Levy Bernie's number, and he was currently texting him to be aware that a beautiful woman four years older than him thought he was cute. Chazz sent a picture, and Bernie hadn't texted back, which must mean that he was speechless and currently jumping all over the place after knowing that such a beautiful woman was attracted to him!

Xiaoling turned into her human form and placed the phone down on the table. "So, let's talk about feelings."

"Uhm...okay?" Chazz was pretty much fueled by feelings, so the topic wasn't an awkward one anymore.

"How do you feel about Judai?"

Chazz's cheeks turned into a faint pink. His eyes turned silver for a second. He bashfully looked down. His words stuttered, "Wh-why do you ask?" After regaining his memories, he realized that the shadow who saved him and had intercourse with was Judai. The past incarnation was incomplete unlike her past incarnations since Jaden wasn't strong enough to project the man, so he made due with being a shadow. He was also aware that Judai may be suffering from amnesia and awareness of his existence being more than just a shadowy savior for Chazz.

Xiaoling leered at him with a smirk, "If I was bisexual like the rest of you, I would be jealous, but I'm satisfied enough knowing that I could've been romantically loved."

"Wait, you're not bisexual?" That was a surprise because Xiaoling gave off the feeling of a succubus who could have anyone in her bed when she was in human form.

"Nope! I'm asexual like our beloved Judai, but because I was surrounded by prostitutes in a kingdom that made it legal, this personality was copied by the more...licentious of them. But enough about me. What are your feelings for Judai?"

"Uh..." Chazz acted like a shy virgin school girl while what was under his belt had to say differently. "Do I have to say it out loud? It's kind of embarrassing."

"No one but me is here to hear. Jun and Jaswinder, too, but there's no escaping that." She tapped her finger on his nose. "But we are you, so it's like talking to a split personality."

Chazz stalled for a bit before admitting, "I know I'm in love with him. The feeling he gives me is not like any other. I won't die for it because I know better, but it definitely is nice...feeling that way. But..."

"Jaden."

 _Song: Longing - Inuyasha OST_

Xiaoling gave him a knowing smirk.

Chazz frowned. "We were in love as kids, and maybe we can fall in love again, but..."

"What's holding you back? You know, this will be your last year at Duel Academy."

"That's the problem. I mean, yeah, we have a whole year, but how am I supposed to approach him. Do I tell him the truth, or," An animated angry mark appeared on his head, "Stick with the lie that Crimson made where I went to a boarding school and I dumped Jaden for another guy! Not only that, but faked my voice, and broke it off for real! Renee wouldn't do that! Renee would never do that! I get it that she was doing what she could, but that's going too far!"

"So the problem is that you can't trust Jaden with your secrets unless he agrees to fall back in love with you."

"Uh..." Chazz felt seen through. He looked down guiltily. "Yeah...It sounds and feels underhanded, but like with my suicide attempts and everything else that I'm still healing from, I'm insecure and afraid."

Xiaoling provided him an understanding look. "It is your life. All Jaden deserves," She placed a tender hand on his. "is to know that you're Renee. Just start with that, and if he asks questions, don't lie. Just tell him that you need time to tell him, and the rest will flow through seamlessly."

"Won't he get mad for keeping the rest of the truth from him?"

"From what I've seen through your eyes, he's a ridiculously forgiving person. You're just a girl who didn't mean to break his heart, and he'll know by a touch of the hand," She shifted her hand to grasp his like a gentleman. "With a duel in tow to lay out your true feelings."

"And if he asks about Light and Darkness Dragon?" That was the most sensitive part of the conversation to be had of all.

"There's nothing else to say, except that he's gone." Those words were hard to hear, but Chazz had cried for nearly four months straight that he was able to just stick with being teary eyed. "And that you need time to tell him of what happened. He'll understand. He knows the bond between the two of you like Levy does. He respects it, and he loved Light and Darkness Dragon, too. He loved the both of you."

The ballerina knew that to be true. Jaden deserved to at least grieve for Light and Darkness Dragon. He loved him, and her partner loved him back.

She nodded to the decision.

Xiaoling was glad to see that.

"Thanks Xiaoling. Can I ask you a question, though." Chazz said; the conversation coming to an end.

"Hm?"

"What breed are you?"

"Dragon Li, but half albino and half melanistic. I can be very playful when something fun happens."

"Ah..."

._._._.

 _Song: Palette - Hatsune Miku covered by Miku-tan_

It was Chazz's birthday, and it was the first birthday where he realized that he would be spending without Light and Darkness Dragon. However, she spent the day preparing to celebrate in his honor as the sun set.

She rented out an outside stage with a clear view of the starry night sky. She had everyone she loved seated. Joey and Kaiba secretly provided Crimson enough power to bring those from the after life to the living just for this occasion.

Chazz got on that stage in the ballerina attire that Light and Darkness Dragon dressed her in, but slightly changed to fit her young adult body. It still consisted of the colors of purple, black and white, and the tutu still appeared to be crafted by birds' and bats' wings. Her purple ballet pointe shoes didn't leave a trail of twinkling sparkles if she was to move her feet, but she still wore the black tights that were made of lace, and half of her skin was pale as snow while the other was as dark as onyx. Her lips, nails and upper eyelids were a lovely violet.

Vivian provided the music with her angelic voice.

Chazz graced the floors on her toes. She danced with the happiness, tranquility, pride and love that was given back to her by those she loved and lost. Chazz felt like she was being liberated from the bird cage where she had been left to hang upside down beneath its swing. The glass pieces that were stuck within her skin was being gently picked out to allow her body to heal the opened wounds it left behind. She was then placed down on a new palette that had a dab of pure red, yellow, and blue. The ballerina timidly placed one of her feet on one of the colors, and then placed the other on a different one. She blended them, and out came a new color. She did it again and again without realizing that she was providing the colors for the three other dancers who were once crushed beyond repair.

They were able to be formed back together by being crafted by new materials, and the colors she mixed distinguished them.

Together again yet fully aware that their final member was missing. They danced together in his honor, hoping that the unspoken love and wistfulness was being transcended to where he was.

Yet, hope wasn't something Chazz entirely had. Her movements slowed on stage because her mind conjured pessimistic thoughts that made her believe that she will never live up to Light and Darkness Dragon's expectations.

The crowd stood up in worry, but then above them, the sky was streaked by multiple falling stars coursing through the sky. They each looked at each other, wondering if the Light or Crimson was up to this, but both women stared at each other in confusion.

Chazz stared up at the sky, her eyes glowing as bright as those falling stars. Relief flooding her chest. He heard. She was sure.

He heard her.

._._._.

A/N: Light and Darkness Dragon is never coming back again.

But he's out there.

I was feeling really...apathetic or mellowed when I wrote this chapter. I don't know.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Very very tiny Boreshipping and platonic hornetshipping. This is pretty much the first half of Season 3 before they enter the dark dimension.

._._._.

Chazz was heading back to Duel Academy by his private helicopter, and he already said goodbye to everyone, so he was left alone with only Levy at the private hangar. The woman gave him a farewell smile. Eyes filled with concern, but also confident in him. "Be safe." She tried to not plead.

Her dearest friend gave her a cocky smirk. "Heh. Don't worry. Whatever villain comes this year for Jaden, the Chazz has his back." The duelist leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll tell Jaden that you said hi when I tell him the truth."

"Hope so." She kissed his cheek before reluctantly letting him go. She had a feeling that she shouldn't have, but she had to trust him.

 **Episode 105-107**

Heading back to Duel Academy was a nerve wracking event for Chazz Princeton who had gone through quite an emotional journey for the last four months. He had blurred out the memories of the war through the help of Jaswinder, so he wouldn't have vivid memories of the Harsh Darkness, or the moment he died. He took a deep breath and remembered what his acting teachers taught him, so he could act normal.

He was eighteen now, and was also an official Obelisk Blue. But he ditched them a few hours later after getting blue paint on himself. It wasn't so much to avoid manual labor but because he wanted to be closer to Jaden. He didn't plan on telling the slacker that she was Renee, yet. It wasn't good to start the school year with telling him about Light and Darkness Dragon. He decided to wait at least second semester, or after the next villain was gone to tell him. What he wanted to do for now was stay by his side, even if it was hard to look at him.

According to Crimson, due to Yubel isolating him, Jaden made himself forget his painful memories, so he didn't remember that Renee existed either. Crimson apologized for making up that Renee ditch him for another guy, but Jaden just wouldn't let go of her. He would always keep checking the mail, his emails and the phone for any messages from her, and try to reach her daily. Levy returning yet leaving after the traumatic event only made him want to talk to Renee more since the three of them were friends. Crimson was tempted to make the two of them meet, but the war wounds were just too deep, and Jaden was too young to be exposed to that.

If he discovered that him handing Levy the Yubel card caused the heart crushing aftermath of the war, he'd be crushed.

She always wondered if she could've done things better, but Chazz told her it was fine. It wasn't like Renee's relationship with Jaden was damaged to the point of no return. He just had to stick with the lie, and only tell half the truth for Jaden's sake. Levy was supportive of the decision. They wanted the three of them to be friends again. It won't be the same as before, but at least they were in contact with each other again, so after Chazz told him the truth, Levy'll contact Jaden.

For now, he was to act like the Chazz that the school knew him to be:

Asshole.

Powerful Duelist.

Ojama Deck User.

Helpless Romantic.

Spoiled Rich Kid.

Lone Wolf.

Slut to a few.

Hopeless Virgin to the nosy fucks.

And just an all around type of guy who people don't want to mess with.

Coming back to the Slifer dorm, Chazz wasn't in her sweet pad anymore since that Blair chick took it. She didn't care. It was her last year, and she can deal with the cramped space. Also, this allowed her to be rooming right next to Jaden, so no stairs or floor levels in between them. It made it convenient for her to rush in if anything bad happened.

Jaden offered to let her room in with him, but she denied since that'd tempt her to tell him early. She can only handle this much distance between them.

She touched the wall that kept them apart, thinking that it practically represented the figurative barrier between her and Jaden.

She sighed.

Ojama Yellow appeared, "What's wrong boss? Still feeling shy?"

"NO!" She roared, not liking being interrupted while feeling poetically sad! Though she was looking more pathetic than poetic, but everyone kept their lips shut. "The Chazz doesn't do shy! I'm just taking Jaden's feelings into consideration! Got that! Besides, starting the school year telling him that Light and Darkness Dragon is..." He didn't want to finish that sentence. Instead, he lied down on the bed and took a calm, deep breath through his nose. "Anyway, it's not the best way to start the year, so I'm just going to wait until second semester. Then I'll tell him."

His past incarnations agreed. They were currently watching the new anime that Chazz left on for them. Xiaoling was solid, so she could handle the mouse.

Jun kidded, "Maybe when the villain appears, you'll tell him in the heat of the moment."

Chazz huffed. "Please. As if I'd ever get caught up in the moment like that. The Chazz don't do movie cliche's."

The Ojamas didn't know who he was talking to since they were unable to see or hear Jun, which was extra odd to them who couldn't be seen or heard by many, either. But they were used to this, so they just rolled with it.

"Are you excited for the new students, Chazz?" Jaswinder questioned. "They are the best of their academies. Bernie may be there since he's been holding his number one spot since last year."

"That's about the only thing to be excited about. These new transfer students got nothing on the Chazz. I'm the Genex tournament champion! I defeated both pros and duelists alike! If you ask me, the whole pep rally is a waste of time. But Chancellor Sheppard made it mandatory, so I can't bail on it." He got up to leave.

"Okay. Duel anyone to submission." The three of them told him impassively.

"Yeah, yeah." He said the same.

Chazz went to the main building, and took her seat at the Slifer's place near Jaden. She frowned at the sight of her childhood love completely oblivious to the fact that his first girlfriend was right behind him. Now there they were, sitting near each other. Friends of sorts.

The ballerina made love with his shadow, but Chazz was blocking out that memory, and keeping the PG-13 rated ones. Judai was Jun's lover. Sure they were the same person, but reincarnations weren't the exact same as their past lives. Chazz wasn't as open as Jun in having a non-exclusive relationship, where she wouldn't mind sharing him with Jaswinder who was the same. This wasn't the past where political, polygamous marriages were common. The duelist liked to be in a monogamous relationship since she loved attention, and wants a special kind from the one she loves. Chazz was still in love with the shadow even though she took a step back from ever being in a relationship with him if they could.

On the matters if he was in love with Jaden, Chazz believed she wasn't. She wasn't the same Renee, and Jaden wasn't the boy she knew. They broke up, and things had to restart. If she was to be in love with Jaden again, it wouldn't be out of obligation. It would be done naturally.

Chazz looked away from Jaden when Blair was to start things off with the school pledge. Hassleberry was talking nonsense about her being his girlfriend, which was not true at all. Not with how he caught the way that first year winked at Jaden, and the way Alexis glared at this. He wasn't surprised since Jaden was a big time hero who wasn't a pervert, and the fact that he wasn't interested in romantic relationships made him more desirable. Chazz wasn't tempted by that.

Next came the introductions of the professor and the transfer students.

The first, Adrian Gecko: Chazz thought that last name sounded familiar, but he didn't care at the moment.

Axel Brodie: Chazz was staring at his duel disk that looked like a gun. Really? His duel disk could be turned into a halberd, but he didn't carry it around like that. Shouldn't that be confiscated?

Jim Crocodile Cook: Okay, that guy was actually kinda cute to Chazz, even though he carried a crocodile on his back. But then, the speck of light was distracted by how he only showed one eye, and Chazz could see something red shining in the other one. He'll ask Jun about that later.

And so when Chazz thought he'll hear the name 'Bernie', he heard 'Jesse' instead.

Jesse Anderson: Chazz knew about that guy through Bernie since they were brothers. Jesse was the older brother, so he was in Chazz's year. The two didn't meet since Jesse was busy being Pegasus' dueling protege since the Crystal Beast Deck chose him. Pegasus had to keep him around to understand the full extent of the cards. Jesse didn't attend North Academy classes last year either since he was busy entering tournaments to get a handle on the deck against real opponents.

With her memories back, Chazz also knew that that meant that this Jesse kid was Jun's reincarnated son aka Chazz's and Syrus' son from a past life. The reincarnation didn't care about that since she wasn't obligated to like some stranger. She also didn't consider Jesse a true North Academy student since he never actually took a class or made a friend there. As far as Chazz knew it, she only cared about the crystal beast deck.

However, when the kid finally appeared, Jaden apparently already met him, and there was an obvious spark between the two of them. Chazz thought he should be jealous, but he just found this plain weird because that was like a guy getting the hots for his lover's son, which was some creepy, questionable yaoi manga scenario happening. Chazz tried to block that idea out since they were reincarnated, so anything was fair game.

Lastly, Sheppard introduced the visiting professor, Viper: Villain anyone? But he could just be a guy who injected way too many steroids.

The professor wanted to start with an exhibition match between Jesse and the top student. The Chazz rightfully accepted, but then, he called out Jaden Yuki instead! Now Chazz really knew why he wasn't all lovey-dovey and shit over Jaden! He was always clouding over him!

 _"WHAT THE HELL?! I AM THE GENEX CHAMPION! That means that I'M DUEL ACADEMY'S TOP STUDENT! NOT JADEN! I know I lost to him, but I deserve some attention!"_ He thought violently while he spoke a bit more softly to not be hauled out of the room. Ojama Yellow wasn't helping either with his bad timing to cheer him up!

The next thing he knew, this so-called professor put on some kind of bio-bands on them before the duel he scheduled in an hour. During that break, Chazz left the room to call Bernie. By the different time zones, classes had to be over.

The student answered with a, "I'm sorry, the Chazz. I failed you." His words were deep, and sad, and filled with sniffles.

"Oh gawd, are you crying? Look, it's fine. You weren't prepared to take on a rare deck like the crystal beasts, so don't beat yourself over it." He comforted him. "Besides, if you were here, I was just going to make you contact Levy to flirt with her and stuff."

"Huh?" The sniffling teen was confused for a moment there.

Chazz told him as if it's obvious, "You two were crazy over each other last month to the point that I was about to push her off the Kaiba skyscraper for talking so much about you. Levy's never been on a date or had a boyfriend for that matter, so if you want to make me happy, go flirt with her some more." It would be nice for Levy to date Bernie. Over the summer, he made her smile, and they had video chats, and the two just couldn't stop talking about each other. It could turn disastrous, but that was a normal disaster that could be afforded.

"Uuuuuuuhhh..." The teen sounded hesitant.

"What? Levy's not good enough for you?"

"No! I can! It's just that I'm a high school boy and she's a grown woman is all! But I'll be a grown man soon, so I'll try my best! I mean Levy is really smart, and funny, and beautiful, and gosh darn, uhm," Chazz inwardly chuckled at Bernie's fall back to the Southern accent he tried to hide. She could practically see his red face now, and him shaking it off to get back on track. "And trust me, the Chazz! I'll get stronger than ever with my fairy deck! I'll beat that Jesse guy, and I'll win!" The younger teen promised with a hiss of rage that he kept at bay from her.

The older duelist smiled proudly, "You do that, so how is everything?" He asked, and the two of them talked for the rest of the hour.

Afterwards, he went to the duel stadium for the exhibition duel. Everyone was hyped to see the crystal beasts that even Aster abandoned the pro-circuit just to see them.

It was a thrilling match, but then Chazz noticed something wrong with the air. It felt like the Light's toxic power was flowing nearby, but...mixed with something darker. He bet his past incarnations noticed it, too, so they went to search for the cause. While they did, Chazz became disappointed when it turned out that the teal haired duelist did not have the legendary rainbow dragon because Pegasus hadn't found it yet. Maybe Jun knew, and he'll send the co-ordinance to Mokuba to give it to Kaiba to give it to Pegasus.

After the match, Viper gave them their assignment which was to basically duel everyday, which was no problem for him.

Chazz then curiously followed Jaden and Jesse since the way they dueled earlier showed that they were very similar, except that Jesse was obviously smarter and more successful. He followed them up to the roof with the others where he was proven right when they were talking about duel monsters like twins. Aster said something about him not having a twin, and for some reason he could hear the Light howling in laughter as if that Pheonix kid said something ironic.

Well whatever, if Jaden and Jesse began dating, it didn't matter to him. He wasn't in love with Jaden anymore, and hadn't been since she was nine.

However, the longer he watched the two duel maniacs talk like children getting way too excited, Chazz began thinking, _"That used to be us."_ Renee and Jaden used to spend hours talking about duel monsters, and never got sick of it. The way Jaden looked at Jesse like he just found someone right for him made Chazz look away. A wistfulness weighed the corners of his lips down, and a small vile feeling settled on his chest, and it spread like mild poison. The feeling wasn't killing him, but he felt exasperatingly uncomfortable.

 _Song: Hello - Adelle covered by Tanner Patrick_

He quickly walked away with his arms still crossed. He told himself that he was just letting past feeling get the best of him.

On his way back to his room, his past incarnations came to him. The glint in their glares and darkening scowls told him that something evil was happening, and Chazz had a good idea of who was behind it, and he was right, but it was worse than he expected.

"Yubel is back?!" Chazz was having the conversation with them in his spirit room. "How?! I thought the Light was keeping her prisoner!"

Xiaoling answered with a seriousness that was foreign to the cat, "I called Mokuba to get the information we needed. Apparently, a meteorite that accumulated enough force destroyed the white hole, and its chaotic essence is scattered throughout the twelve dimensions. Crimson with her allies and our family is try to duel and obtain the essence as best as they can. You weren't told because you were with Levy at the time."

"If she knew, she'd have a panic attack." Chazz felt a murderous rage for what Yubel did to Levy! "Tch! So what are we going to do!"

"Nothing." Jun answered straight-forward. "We can take Yubel out, but there's a drawback. There's a reason why the Light hadn't destroyed Yubel entirely. It involves with their unique reincarnation."

Jaswinder explained, "We know that if one incarnation is evil, and another is good, then they have to duel in order to decide whether their newest incarnation will be good or evil. This usually takes place in the afterlife, but it turns out that the sword that almost killed Jun, and destroyed a dimension has special effects. First, take note that the sword is not as powerful as the Super Polymerization card, or our Super Defusion card. The sword is capable of fusing and de-fusing beings, but in the matters of de-fusing, instead of splitting the 'connection' permanently, it is still there like an indestructible string tied between them."

"So you're saying that if Yubel was killed, then Levy would've died, too?" Chazz's heart sunk at the idea of Levy lying on the floor, not moving. Levy went through so much, and she was becoming better and better, and most of all he loved her! He can't take her away. No matter how great the stakes.

"There's still a chunk of Yubel left that constitutes her as living." Jun told him. "The only way to take her out while not killing Levy in the process is by having Levy duel her."

"But Levy can't duel." Chazz didn't want to force her, either. Fighting through a trigger without Chazz being able to interfere in the duel, that would make it easy for Yubel to win. And there was no way a double tag team would be accepted. Neither Yubel nor Levy would accept out of their own free will.

"We know." Jun nodded to show her empathy.

"Can't we just kidnap her though?" He asked. "We can take Yubel and Joey can send her to Crimson to put her in a new jail."

"We planned on doing that, but Joey and the others are busy helping Crimson who is at a very delicate situation right now. That why we contacted Mokuba who's running Kaiba Corporation at the moment. There's also another obstacle. We're unable to get near her in our physical form."

Jaswinder explained, "Xiaoling was unable to enter the lab where Yubel is hidden because she is soaked in the toxic light of the white hole. Yubel may be only a hand, but the toxicity of her powers is too dangerous for us who only have four glass pieces. It would be like entering a room filled with poisonous gas. Even with a shield, it'll seep right through."

"That doesn't make sense. Crimson and everyone else is dealing with this toxic light, why can't I?" Chazz did not spend two months training his powers for nothing!

The doctor answered, "The light and darkness inside you may be balanced, but it isn't even. Crimson and the others have a far more equal light and darkness inside of them. You have more light than darkness inside of you just as Jaden has more darkness than light inside of him. When Jun dueled the Light, the power from the Super De-fusion card provided a barrier from having the toxic levels from the woman affect her. Now that we aren't at full power, we are susceptible to it."

"You have got to be kidding me! I am the Speck of Light! We created this damn universe! I get it that we can't be all powerful, but this is RETARDED!" Chazz was in the mood to duel someone so badly that they'll never duel again!

"It is." Jun wholeheartedly agreed. "And without Light and Darkness Dragon, there's no way we can power the last piece." She reluctantly pointed out. Chazz understood why she had to say that, but it was still too soon to say it that way. She continued strongly, "Viper plans on stealing duel energy from the students in order to do so. We don't know what Yubel is planning, but it definitely centers around Jaden. For now, all we know is that the only way we can stop Yubel is through Jaden dueling her after she reaches her physical form. With his powers, he could dissipate the Light's toxic energy, and then we can capture her. Do you understand, Chazz?"

The teen wanted to not comply with the plan. It was stupid that he couldn't get close to Yubel because he was susceptible to the toxic light. Everyone else who could've been able to help were too busy helping Crimson since they had bigger problems that involved the survival of trillions of lives throughout the twelve dimensions. When compared to that, Yubel was a minor problem since she was just a hand at the moment, and Jaden could handle things.

So in the end, "I'm useless again."

"No, we're not." Jun told him with a reassuring gaze. "You do have to keep your powers a secret since Yubel isn't a fan of us, and that could result in death. For now, we will do an espionage of Duel Academy and alert you of anything that Viper may do that could result in fatality. You can use your powers of healing to make sure no one dies in the process."

That was important. Chazz saved Atticus' life, and was making sure Zane didn't die, so he could do this. He finally complied, "I understand. But one question. You talked about the sword. Where is it?" He wanted to know.

The doctor answered, "It's currently locked up inside Levy's body."

"What?!"

Xiaoling explained, "The sword is far too dangerous to lay into anyone's hands. We hid it in the one place one wouldn't expect it to be hidden at in the first place."

"You know hiding it in Mr. Mokuba's body would've been a lot more unexpected." Chazz pointed out sarcastically.

Jaswinder pinched his cheek hard. "It was also an act of trust. Levy was a dangerous choice to become the guardian, but we trust her, and we let her know that we trust her."

"By endangering her if someone knew about it." Chazz pulled his cheek away, and rubbed it.

"If they knew about it, then Levy can take the sword and whoop their ass with it." Jun said in a less serious tone. "The only thing preventing Levy from standing is the tip of the sword still lodged in her spine. You helped soften her guilt immensely, but she still feels obligated to do something, and that sword is helping her feel like she's fulfilling that."

So that meant that Levy was being emotionally stable by this dangerous decision. Chazz really didn't like that, but he couldn't do anything right now since Yubel was on the fuckin' island! He was beyond pissed off about everything! He can't do anything!

 _Song: Shit Luck - Modest Mouse_

She held in her rage just as she was taught, and for the next few days, she let some of that out by going to the gym, but not by hitting the dance floors. She went to the boxing gym to let out steam on a punching bag. She would usually do it during a duel, but she couldn't let the others know that she was bothered by something. She had to act like who she wanted to be during the day while releasing who she really was during the night through her fists and knees.

While she let out her rage, her past incarnations made sure she did it in the correct form. They'd tell her to widen her stance, straighten her arms, and heighten her kicks. The gym was filled with the onslaught of rattling chains echoing. The sounds attracted an unwelcome audience, "Wowiee, you're surely giving that poor sport equipment a beating." Chazz looked behind her to see Jim Cook with Shirley on the ground at his side. She saw the red glow beneath the covered eye, and Jun told her that it was the Orichalcum stone, which gave this guy the ability to look into someone's soul. As long as Chazz didn't use her powers, she appeared relatively normal with a few unique details like anyone else. Thus, she wasn't impressed.

"What's it to you?" She seethed. Her sports bra and shorts were drenched in sweat, and her breathing was slightly ragged. Her wrapped hands were worn out, and her feet must stink.

Jim was sure that this person was a guy, so thought the sports bra was for some sort of medical reason or preference. He answered with a well-meaning tone, "Whoa, I don't mean to cause any trouble. Just that I'm surprised to see you hittin' the gym at this time. You're Chazz Princeton aren'tcha? The Genex tournament champion."

She took a gulp of water from her water bottle before answering with her hoarse male voice, "Yeah, but according to that Viper guy, it means shit. Now how about you beat it, or I'll use you as a punching bag." Chazz was so ready to test her fighting skills on this one, or duel him. Hurting one person wouldn't hurt her reputation.

But the taller teen held his hands up in a surrender, "Hey, I'm not here to cause a fight. I just came to make conversation since it's pretty odd for someone of your physique to be hitting the gym like this." Chazz was pretty skinny. She was actually underweight when she started Duel Academy, but she had been getting a few more pounds with her metabolism still working, so she had a taut stomach now. The crocodile man explained his presence, "I came here to make Shirley use the pools since the girl needs it. Mind if I ask what got you all wild up?"

"No." Chazz rejected point black. She wasn't going to share anything with a stranger who Jun told him a few days ago was her second-in-command in the past life. Chazz didn't care. She wasn't obligated to, so she turned away to continue beating the crap out of the defenseless bag, but then her ojamas screech when they saw Shirley approach her. They screamed for her to run, but Chazz wasn't afraid of the crocodile. She faced scarier creatures. She dared for a tiger to attack her now.

Jim tried to stop his animal partner, but he was surprised to see Shirley calmly approach Chazz and did nothing, but stare.

"Hm?" Jaswinder hummed, inspecting the reptile. "It seems like the crocodile has a keen sense of powerful yet friendly spiritual energy. Crocodiles in Egypt were known to be vicious, but they were also protective of the good."

The raven haired duelist stared back at the female croc, confused. Well, if the crocodile wasn't going to attack, she took her chance to kneel down, and petted her. Chazz felt some comfort in doing that, and found herself saying, "You're lucky that you're a crocodile. You just get to be pampered, and do whatever you like." Shirley rumbled as if she was comforting her. Chazz smiled appreciatively. Her anger fading as she petted the crocodiles. "She won't bite me, will she? I'll call animal protection if she does." Shirley lowly growled at the threat, but she still allowed Chazz to touch her.

"She usually does bite people, but looks like she's taken a liking to you." Jim was astonished. "That's weird. Shirley usually don't take to strangers easily. She did the same thing with that Jaden kid earlier."

Chazz stopped her petting at the mentioning of Jaden's name. What did that mean? Was this reptile able to sense godly supernatural energy or did she just see that Chazz was a good person despite being an asshole? She began feeling scared and insecure. Sure Shirley couldn't talk, but lives were riding on the line for him to keep his secrets. He felt ridiculous and self conscious.

Then Jim offered, "You know, I'm feeling quite famished. How about we get something to eat?"

Chazz stood up, and turned away, "Not interested. I'm hitting the showers." She walked off quickly, unable to figure out whether Shirley would be a problem or not at that moment.

 _Song: Uncover - Zara Larsson_

She stood underneath the shower head to feel the cool water spray over her body. She felt her eyes become droopy as she ran her hands through her hair from the nape of her neck to her widow peak. She then mimicked the movements of drawing a card from her duel disk. She did this a few times before she began feeling her body move to express what kind of cards she pulled out and then what sort of traps or monsters she was playing on the field.

She was remembering her duels with Jaden from her time as Renee to when she turned into just Chazz to him now who hadn't dueled Jaden yet. She had the water sprayed from all of the shower heads act as her props to express the power of the attacks and the smoothness of the defenses played. She also expressed the pain of her heart when she dueled him those four times as just Chazz.

She expressed how her heart strengthened, but it was grieving because of a death that occurred that affected her dueling, and just one conflict after another was eating her apart. She ended the dance huddled on the floor at the shower head that she was using first.

"I didn't know the shower room could be used like that."

Chazz whipped his head up and looked at the shower room's opening to see the one-eyed Aussie simpering at him. "What the hell?! Did you follow me in here?! Are you a pervert?! I'm calling campus security!" He got up to do just that, ignoring the consequences that could come with that.

"Hey, hey, I meant no harm. Just that Shirley wouldn't stop following you here. But if you still want to, you should probably turn off the showers first. You should know that water is a valuable resource, but after what I saw, I can't complain."

"Yeah, I bet you liked what you saw." Chazz turned off the other shower heads. "So what? Are you going to tell everyone I'm a hermaphrodite now?" There could be drawbacks that came with that, but hey, he wasn't ashamed. Just that it's going to suck having people look at him as a hermaphrodite first and then a duelist second. Or maybe nutjob second and then duelist third if his medical records came out. It was going to be frustrating having to tell the reporters that 'No, his hermaphroditic body did not give him mental instability, you dumbfuck of a journalist who was the tenth one to ask me that question because you ain't creative for shit on asking better questions'.

Jim suavely answered, "Me? Naaah. C'mon, give me the possibility of the doubt that I'm a good guy. Don't need to be so defensive around me. That Jaden kid seemed to like being friends with everyone."

Chazz approached him with an arch eyebrow throwing him shade. "Do I look like a Jaden to you?" He took his towel to wipe himself down before heading to his own locker to put on his clothes.

"No, but aren't you friends with him?"

"Friends? Please." Chazz rolled his eyes. "He likes thinking we're friends, but we're just rivals meant to duel to bring out our best, and nothing else like the King of Games: Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba."

"Rivals, huh. I heard from that little guy he hangs around with that you never won a duel against him. You two must be Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba if that's true."

Chazz's eye twitch out of annoyance. That was it. He warned that little twerp about gloating about that, and now, he was going to scoop up an ant hill, and hide it under his pillow after putting it into something that'll open up the moment he lied his head down on it. "That little twerp is going to get it! I'm going to duel him to get him kicked out of this school!" He slammed his locker door after quickly changing. "And you!" He shoved a finger up to the taller duelist's face. "I don't give a damn of what you heard of me, or what you're going to say, but the Chazz is no second place! You got that! I went to the end of the Earth for my deck, and I bet it can beat whatever you have!"

Jim's eye twinkle at the ferocious, somewhat adorable attitude. It was like talking to a wild kitten with quite a few interesting features that he wouldn't mind examining out of curiosity. "Is that so? Then how about a duel tomorrow? One-on-one."

"Count on it, and you better count your prayers because you're about to be schooled by the Chazz."

"Don't go doubtin' on me just yet, but you bet I'll be looking forward to it."

The two grinned with excitement that they were thinking that they should have a duel right here and now, but dueling wasn't allowed during this time. They were filled with so much energy now, that there had to be a way for them to exhaust it. Shirley was watching them, and Chazz's grey eyes seem to elicit a spark that fascinated her ever-so-curious owner who had a love for the fascinating wild with a fiery temper. She watched them approach each other closer, but then out of nowhere a woman thrust her arm in between them, and slammed her hand on the lockers so hard that it shook at looked like it could've tilted downward.

 _ **SLAM!**_

Shirley had never seen such fear in her owner's eyes at a five-foot-five woman.

"Aren't you two up a little late!" Jun asked with a suspiciously keen voice. "You know that the gym will be closing in a few minutes, so you better be out of here! And by out of here, I mean separately, and never look at each other again!" She picked up Jim in one arm, and Shirley in the other, and threw them out of the gym. She went back to the locker room to find a very not amused Chazz who was currently blind.

"What the hell?!" The teen cried out with fists at his sides.

"Don't 'what the hell' me! I told you he was the reincarnation of my second-in-command!"

"So?! Jaden is getting chummy with your reincarnated son! In this life time, everything is fair play, and the Chazz wants to play! I haven't gotten laid for almost a year! I'm getting blue balls and an aching vagina here!"

"Like hell, I'll let you sleep with him! So congratulations, you are now a recommitted virgin! But if you want it so bad, go sleep with Syrus!"

"As if! I'm not a desperate skank like you!"

"Then why don't you sleep with someone else than Cook!"

"It's not everyday that I get fresh piece of Aussie here on this campus! And I already had a one-night stand with everyone who is Chazz material! There's no way I'm lowering my standards! I get what I want!"

"Weeeeeell, excuuuse me! But you ain't gettin' any Aussie dick! That dick is reserved for that dino-Ra-Yellow! You know why?!"

"Don't give me that reincarnated wife tale! They're not married yet!"

Jaswinder and Xiaoling were having fun watching them bicker over dicks like sisters watching their hot tempered ones go at it.

Eventually, Chazz gave in since Jun was adamant on not letting him near Jim. Augh, he just wanted to get laid, but he was stubborn about keeping things a one-night stand and not lowering his standards.

Looks like he'll have to be a recommitted virgin again until he lost it.

._._._.

After Chazz calmed down, he went to sleep. His past incarnations were in his soul room, and they talked about what Yubel could be planning. It wasn't good to speculate since that could effect their next choices, and they might be blindsided from the truth, so they made sure Chazz wasn't listening in since he was the driver.

They all sat at a round table facing each other.

"Do you think that Yubel plans to make Jaden awaken his gentle dark powers?" Jaswinder questioned.

"She is." Jun replied without a doubt.

Xiaoling sighed out her irritation, "What else could she be planning other than that? And no doubt, she's planning on using the polymerization card to combine the 12 dimensions like it was originally planned. A disaster since dimension's have their rules, and plenty of civilizations aren't prepared to handle each other without miscommunications getting out of hand, and becoming the sole reason of war."

Jun looked out to nowhere in particular as she went deep into thought. Jaswinder questioned what she could be thinking. The former princess didn't say anything.

Xiaoling narrowed her half-lidded eyes at her, "You're thinking about letting this happen. Not for Yubel to achieve her objective, but for Jaden to reawaken his powers."

Jun didn't deny it. "You know that the universe is in peril, and Crimson can't handle all of this on her own no matter how powerful she may be. She's currently working herself to the bone to save the twelve dimensions, and we're stuck here handling someone as minuscule as a bitch with some issues. We're powerless without all five pieces."

Jaswinder stood up, objecting, "Even if that may be true, you do realize what must happen in order for that to happen! Unlike Chazz who must be fueled through love, the Supreme King is fueled by the torturous opposite: Ruthless Rage. Unlike Jaden, Judai was mentally prepared to handle such an emotion! This could become devastating for him!"

"You can see how this is going to end, Jaswinder." Jun spoke calmly as she projected her voice that overcame the room, "Even if Chazz told him, Jaden will selfishly do as he wishes! It's part of his nature! No matter how you look at this as a princess, a warrior, a lawyer, a doctor, a pet, or a duelist, we can see it from all angles, Jaden will become his own undoing, and even someone as insane as Yubel can see that. Those past villains were nothing more then just stepping stones for Jaden to fall, and honestly, I don't care if he does. I only see it as his opportunity to rise as the hero he was meant to be."

"And Chazz's feelings?" Xiaoling questioned. "His love for Jaden?"

"...It's just not meant to be." Jun stood up just as Chazz was waking.

Jaswinder and Xiaoling looked at each other. The doctor had only been with Judai for two months, and the cat never met him. There was love before, but not all love survives.

They followed with Jun's decision.

 _Song: Phoenix - Molly Sanden_

._._._.

 _"That guy is way too flashy." An eight-year-old Chazz told Jaden while they were watching tournaments. "His glittery costume hurts my eyes."_

 _"Mine, too. Boy, I wonder if I could wear a super-hero costume when I duel! Wouldn't that be cool, Renee?!" The child's brown eyes were practically sparkling at the idea of being a super hero pro-duelist._

 _Chazz snorted. "Just don't wear your underwear outside of your pants, and do your best to not embarrass yourself."_

 _"I won't! And nobody wears their underwear outside of their pants anymore! It's all that tight clothing they wear! Spandex!"_

 _"It's better not to use that unless you're out in the cold, and from what I hear, the spotlights make you sweat. If you wear spandex, you'll cook up." Chazz warned her boyfriend._

 _Jaden looked very upset. "Really?! Aw man! And I already had my costume drawn out and everything! I've been working on it forever!"_

 _Chazz gasped in a way that perked Jaden's safety instincts, but then his girlfriend joked, "You! Working without any help! It's the apocalypse! Run for cover!" She got up and ran through the living and out the door with her slippers on._

 _"Hey it's not funny! I worked really hard! Want to see it?!"_

 _"Only if you beat me in a duel!"_

 _"Fine!" The two always had their decks on them, and Light and Darkness Dragon was ready to battle at Chazz's side!_

 _The two went at it, and Jaden won this round, so Chazz was made to look at his drawing of a super-hero costume. "You see it's red with an 'H' on it for hero and I have a utility belt! I considered a cape, but I don't want to get caught in things and get destroyed by razor blades. Isn't it cool, Renee!"_

 _"Mmm. It's nice, but if you don't want a cape, then why not a jacket. Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba wears one."_

 _"Oh, you're right! Thank's Renee! I like Yugi better so I'll keep my jacket short like his! Oh! How about we make one for you?!"_

 _"Me?"_

 _"Why not? You could be my super hero partner! I'm the Jaden Man and you could be...uhm..."_

 _"I want to be called Super Princess Renee who doubles as a knight and a doctor who can turn into a cat!" Who better to be than her totally awesome past incarnations! She took a paper and coloring pencils to draw out her version of a super hero costume. She first drew her head and just as she was coloring in her hair, she stopped to realize she wanted to be something better. "Or better yet, I'll be Dragon Tamer Renee of Light and Darkness! All good pro-duelist fit to their type of deck! Right Light and Darkness Dragon!" She smiled up at her spirit partner who gave a happy shriek and was wiggling around excited to see the final product._

 _Chazz wasn't a great drawer, but she was able to make a decent drawing of what she wanted. She wanted to add clothing from her past incarnations. She took the long beautiful sparkly veil that Jaswinder loved to wear. She drew in a half black and white armor from Jun. And for Xiaoling, she gave herself cat eyes._

 _"Cool!" Jaden was awed at the quick drawing of a totally awesome costume!_

 _Chazz crossed her arms with a self-satisfied smirk. "It is isn't it. That's what you get from the fabulous Renee!"_

 _"It's awesome, Renee!" Jaden grinned brightly at her. "I'd love to see you in that!" He couldn't help feeling giddy at the idea of them becoming pro-duelist together. But not as partners. Chazz wanted to stand on his own, but they'll still be together. The dream was an exciting one, that he just had to say, "Renee, when we become pro-duelist, and when it's my turn to play, I'll point you out in the crowd!" He pointed at her._

 _Chazz thought it was sweet, but it was also rude. "What did I tell you about pointing!" She scolded him._

 _"Ah," The little boy looked at his finger, and then picked up his other finger. "Then I'll do it with two fingers!"_

 _Chazz giggled. "I guess that''s alright."_

 _"I really like you, Renee."_

 _"I really like you, too, Jaden."_

Chazz woke up and felt as if he hadn't slept. He didn't dare to move as he calmed his breathing. Eventually he felt his body ache for water, so he sat up and removed his earplugs which were a mistake. He could hear Jesse and Jaden talking outside and departing with voices that gave off the feel that two potential lovers were departing.

"Stop it." He told himself. A deep-seated anger rising in his chest against his sadness. "That's all in the past." He said that, but tears were escaping him. He pulled his knees to his chest, and placed his eyes on top of them, and then his hands on top of his head. "It's less than six months away. Just keep it together, Chazz, and everything will be fine. You're not in love with Jaden anymore, and if he falls for someone else, you'll be surprised, and then don't care, but secretly hope he'll be happy."

He told himself that, but he wished that the Jaden who loved him would come be by his side and hold his hand like he would when they watched a sad movie together.

He drew his knees closer with his toes curling his bed sheets.

He wanted his Jaden back.

 _Song: Who am I to say - Hope_

._._._.

 **Episodes 108-119**

A week passed since the exhibition duel. Viper needed to wait until Chancellor Sheppard was ready to leave on business.

Since then, Chazz hadn't been avoiding everyone exactly. He was actually busy filling out his resumes for sponsoring companies. If he was going to be a pro-duelist, he didn't want to use his family's help to get it. He had to prove himself as a duelist and that could also make him a credible advocate.

Though when he did have free time, he kind of was avoiding everyone. Jim was definitely on purpose despite having promised to duel.

Other than that, it was because of Yubel. His anger over being incapable to handle her wouldn't subside even with his duel spirits trying to cheer him up. He wanted to talk to someone outside of his family about his problem, but there was no student on this island who he could trust, and that made him feel disgusted to have such unreliable friends, but he knew he wasn't fair for feeling or thinking that way when he never gave any of them the chance. He also couldn't stand the fact that he couldn't bear the sight of Jesse and Jaden getting along since that made him remember his memories of being Renee. He kept telling himself that he was jealous because he was letting nostalgia get the better of him. Their love wasn't that great as kids. They only dated for two years, and most of it was spent apart...

Soon, Viper finally called for that meeting where he gave them their bio-bands. Chazz wondered if Yubel would tell if he was the speck of light by his duel energy. His past incarnations assured him again that she couldn't as long as Chazz didn't use his powers, or else the light energy will be mixed with his duel energy. Chazz could get behind that.

He wasn't surprised that Syrus obviously knew something was wrong. Chazz wasn't great at cheering him up, but he tried at least.

After the meeting, he went to the dance studio. He was given the keys to the place by Ms. Bellaforte again since young duelists these days don't seem to be fond of dancing anymore. The ballerina made use of the studio to do his homework, plan out dueling strategies, and then doing the ballet basics. She then called Levy to talk without mentioning Yubel. She only told her about how Jaden was with his new friend which led them to mostly be talking about Bernie and Levy's work. Chazz wanted to call Vivian, but even she was needed by Crimson. At least, he could call his brothers to let them know he was fine.

She frowned at the phone. If only that meteorite didn't hit the white hole, then she wouldn't be in this mess.

What was the meteorite doing? Was the Light just hit by coincidence or was the meteorite a tool used for a diabolical plan? He can't figure it out, so he just had to wait much to his annoyance.

Her mind went back to her dreams of Renee and Jaden. She blocked out the memories, took a deep breath, and then felt her mind enter a stage of zen. Her body lied down on the dance floor, feeling comfortable, so she didn't move. She didn't want to.

"Stuck in place?" Aster's father appeared. He had been wondering around Aster, and his boy could see his spirit a bit, but not all the way, so his boy was still skeptical if he was really there or not. The Light was currently busy helping Crimson, so he was feeling a bit lonely.

Chazz didn't react to his presence. He saw him around when the Light could afford to be on Earth for a little while before leaving. He didn't speak either. He was far too comfortable to do so.

The man seemed intrigued like a child at the sight of her. "I have to say. It's sad to see you like this."

"If you give me the whole 'you're pretty when you smile' crap, I'll obliterate you." Chazz said, feeling cozy, despite being mean.

The man chuckled, amused. "No. I only wish for company since my wife is off ironically trying to collect herself." He sat down with crossed legs. "And I have to say I am a fan of your dancing. The Light would show me videos of you and your past incarnations dancing, and I must say she was right. Every time I see you dance, you certainly are the light for the stage."

That peaked Chazz's interest. "Light for the stage?"

"The Light has a funny way of thinking things through, but she always seemed sober when you dance. She wishes nothing more than to see you dance, and when you duel, even when you're still, the charisma you give out, tortured or not, is mesmerizing to her." The man held such a sweet smile for a sociopathic entity. "She once told me that she found it indescribable that each of your incarnations seem to demand a different setting when you dance."

"Mm?"

"She said that her first daughter, Jun, was fit for the ballroom. She's a woman who wants everyone to have a partner to dance with, and be surrounded by each other in a soothing wave of motion despite having the power to shamble it herself. Then there is Jaswinder who is fit for to dance within the divine quarters of a temple. A woman who desires to be ascended to the level of a goddess who will defy the gods, however, accept their ultimate consequences. And then there's Xiaoling. When in human form, she is fitted to dance on the streets or underground floors where she dances in a place that calls out for freedom, yet filled with restrictions. A cat who makes her territory, yet liberates others. And then there's you..."

He lied down beside her to make eye contact, "The person fitted for the stage. You dance for the sake of impressing or alleviating those in the crowd, and everyone else at your side is a prop that you have to either elevate for it's presence to be noticed, or disgrace to become the heroine of the play. But I guess even a dancer needs an intermission."

Chazz felt those descriptions fitting for him and the others. Also, he did need a break from the world, so he enjoyed his intermission before he had to enter the world of conflict again.

That only lasted until the next morning when Xiaoling reported to him that Jaden and Axel were sent to the infirmary because of their bio-bands. They were only experiencing acute fatigue, so Chazz didn't need to heal them. They just had to remain in bed. A few hours later, Jim and Hassleberry were sent to the infirmary. They were worse. It soon became the fourth day since the survival duels began, and they were still bed-ridden. It looked like the bio-bands were turned up for the student's energy that Chazz had to be careful.

However, Jun reported to him that Viper planned on killing Adrian Gecko after getting too close to the truth, but the student planned on setting up a party to avoid this fate. Chazz thought that was clever since there was no way Viper could let a bunch of students be killed in one night after a duel. However, if Viper was that crazy, it was best that Chazz went to the party. Adrian gave him an invite after all.

Yet, he heard Alexis, Syrus, and the duel maniac twins talk about it outside, and the female obelisk said that he was rumored to be a snob. That shouldn't be news, but somehow, that really annoyed Chazz, and the sight of Jesse and Jaden getting chummy was only fueling that annoyance more!

Chazz knew about the Gecko family only by name since Jagger worked for them as a financial advisor despite working for Kaiba Corporation and Industrial Illusions at the same time. The Princetons and Gecko family got along very well, that Chazz actually met with the president one time at an event, but Chazz didn't care about that until now. He never met Adrian before, but right now, he just couldn't stand him because he couldn't stand richer snobs when they were on his turf! Go ahead and be richer! But don't be a snob, too! He was the rich snob on campus! Him!

He searched up this Adrian Gecko guy, and read all about how he was voted as 'The Most Smartest, Richest, and Famous Duelist in the country!' Every other information was blocked out. Figures since deep pockets have big secrets stuffed in there, but he wanted to know more about this Adrian person, and how much of a snob he really was!

His Ojamas were not helping at all, and he just had to yell that he didn't care if this guy was richer and more powerful with those bulging biceps! He was good at playing card games with a great catch phrase, and that was what life was all about!

He was going to duel him, and he was going to win! Who cares if his energy was going to be sucked in! He's the speck of Light! He'll stand right back up in a second and still do his mission! He quickly went to his phone to order for a new laptop after accidentally conjuring lightning, and then went on to planning the best way to show off to Adrian!

 _Song: Rip Her To Shreds - Blondie_

"Is she really jealous of this Adrian person?" Jaswinder questioned as they watched their Chazz think up a crazy way to duel. They were currently in the soul room since they figured that after this duel, Adrian would use Jaden and the others to become a distraction while he trespassed for whatever he was planning. It was something that Xiaoling would've done in his case.

The cat purred, "Chazz doesn't realize it, but she's jealous that someone is like her, but is both normal and better than her. It's less of a challenge between Adrian and Chazz, and more of a challenge between her and the person she could've been."

The women wanted to comfort their newest incarnation, but they knew this duel will do her better.

That night, Chazz dueled Adrian Gecko, and was throwing in all this assumptions and accusations that made it obvious that Chazz was not fighting Adrian, but herself. Chazz could've been Adrian: Rich, superior, and normal.

Yeah, Adrian had a sob story that made Jun feel remorse for the grown teen who was abandoned and suffered before being adopted, and he still appeared to be conflicted. But, Chazz couldn't. Adrian was still better off than she was emotionally, mentally, and even physically. Her deck wasn't her original, but it was the deck she created when she began feeling better. It was a symbol of the new her, and she wanted to prove to the person she could've been that she was still living rich and superior at least!

However, she lost after the guy pulled an impressive gamble that pushed her off the platform. She felt sore for losing, but she did her best, and she guessed at least she lost against one hell of a move like that. She felt fine. She can get stronger. She can, and she'll beat Adrian the next time!

The next thing she knew, she felt her energy drained. She thought she would be able to heal herself up quickly, and make herself float, but her vision blurred, and her body began to sink. She realized that she underestimated just how tiring it made her...

Chazz wasn't completely unconscious. Just too tired to pull himself back up for air. His chest wasn't even reacting to the lack of oxygen. He remembered this feeling. Just like that time at the end of that devastating duel. He could see Light and Darkness Dragon at the distance waiting for him. Chazz wanted to go to him.

If he just closed his eyes, and let himself die, he'll be where he was.

In the stars.

"Chazz! Is he alright?!"

"Oh no, Chazz."

"...He's not breathing! Back up, I'm going to give him CPR!"

 _"Don't."_

"I'll go call for help!"

"Chazz, stay with us!"

 _"No...I don't want to..."_

"You're getting tired. Trade with me."

 _"Stop it. Don't press my chest. Don't blow into my mouth."_

"Dammit! Breathe!"

"C'mon! You can do it!"

"Chazz..."

"We're here! We'll take over."

 _"Please, stop it. Why won't you stop. I want to be with him. Let me be with him."_

"He has a pulse, so we don't need the AED, but he isn't breathing...Get him on stretcher."

 _"No...No...Please...let me be with him..."_

Chazz woke up the next day with an oxygen mask over the mid-lower part of his face. He just lied there while his duel spirits gasped and sprayed their tears everywhere. Jun, Jaswinder, and Xiaoling appeared. The cat turned solid to reassure everyone that he was fine.

The duelist wondered if he was. He just pleaded to die earlier, but then Jun petted his head, and the warrior told him, "We all have that desire when we want to reach the other side." The former goddess was always at the edge of death when she was a knight, so her words were sympathetic. It helped make Chazz feel less guilty since the wish to just enter the afterlife instead of fighting to live was common. His first incarnation informed him, "The others have gone to get Viper. Yubel is almost at mid-power to return to her solid form. Don't worry. I will go watch over them. Jaswinder will go watch over the students in the gym. Xiaoling will remain at your side."

Chazz just nodded, and tolerated the Ojamas' worry, which were pleasing somewhat.

He knew that he couldn't sleep, or else that would mean that his past incarnations would go back to the soul room inside him, so he focused his energy on keeping himself awake, and he busied himself by doing light stretches and practicing the basics of ballet. He went back to bed when Ms. Fontaine would appear. After she left, he sat up to think up a few more dueling strategies that could beat Adrian Gecko.

In a few hours later, a bright light shone in the windows. Jun came back, and announced, "Get ready for a trip."

._._._.

 **Episode 120**

After the light took over, Jun explained to her reincarnations at the infirmary about how Yubel used her revived power to pull them into another dimension.

"Was Yubel able to do this before?" Chazz questioned, not expecting her to be this powerful, or for just a few students to provide that much power.

The knight answered with all seriousness, "Yes. The right-hand-man of the Supreme King must have minor powers like these."

"Ah. Excuse me." Chazz said respectfully with a short pause before, "You find this MINOR! We're in a frickin' desert dimension with three suns! Are you telling me that you and Judai can teleport a planet!"

"Yes." Jun said with all seriousness.

Chazz, Jaswinder, and Xiaoling all stared at her dumbfounded. They were reincarnated with broken pieces, so they all yelled, "HOW THE FUCK DID YUBEL KILL YOU!"

Jun put up a finger for each reason, "I was pregnant; I trusted her so I put my guard down; she crafted a sword that could break my card because I lowered my guard."

"You know, I've always heard that she was psychotic." Xiaoling pointed out, "So how in the shadow realm did you not see the signs?"

"I explained this before. Yubel wasn't always like this. Well, she was a bitch, but that was natural when you're running several dimensions at the same time because your childhood friend is a dumbass. Judai was a cute, clever, likable king, but politics wasn't his thing." Jun said with a more frank tone as she took her seat on the bed with the others. "Judai only acted as the threat to not be messed with. The both of us were powerful to the point that we were the entities of this world that we were supposed to be as we aged. Yet, neither of us were interested in using that power to turn the world as we pleased. I never used them to see into the hearts of those I loved; just like how none of you did the same to your families and friends unless they were in trouble. I never questioned Yubel. I always believed that Judai gave her more love than he gave me..."

The former princess faintly remembered the words, _"Yubel...I promise you...my love will only belong to you...No matter what anyone says...I shall keep loving you!"_ She downcast her eyes. Thousands of years and those words still troubled her. "He made that promise."

"Promise?" Chazz questioned, having not completely sort through all of them.

Jun solemnly revealed, "Judai made a vow to Yubel that his love only belongs to her, and her alone, and I'm talking about a love far beyond obligation or small affections. It was supposed to be a love that held her above anyone else, including Crimson and me."

"That's nonsense." Jaswinder commented. "Love is such a fickle emotion, and it will do what it likes. If Judai felt a love greater than he could feel for Yubel, then it's unstoppable."

The first incarnation explained, "The promise was made after Yubel gave up her human form in order to become a duel monster powerful enough to protect the Supreme King until his powers awakened." The former princess sighed through her nose. Her eyes closing briefly to remember that night the Light disclosed this to her. "I knew it was best to stay away from him, but after realizing my fate that was in a few years, I gave in to the ridiculous agreement of only have a sexual affair with him. I loved him, and I thought he loved Yubel more, but I was just fooling myself. I should've known better that Judai couldn't keep his promise."

"Right, but Yubel still had no right to kill a pregnant woman." Jaswinder pointed out. She began remembering those memories passed on to her.

"No, she didn't. Yubel did many things wrong, but Judai was equally guilty for that. He knew better, but he selfishly did what he wanted."

Chazz heard this, and it sounded like something Jaden would do. His chest felt uncomfortable as if it wanted to cave itself in. "So if Yubel didn't become a duel monster and wasn't given that vow, she would've been like Levy?"

"I don't know." The first woman answered softly.

Chazz guessed that was good enough.

He lied down on his bed with the covers over him. All of this could've been avoided if Judai had just kept his promise or not make it in the first place, but that would've meant that Jun would've sacrificed her soul in order to create the barriers. Then Chazz wouldn't exist, and he would never have met Light and Darkness Dragon, Levy, his brothers, and everyone else.

Was this a better outcome, or were they better off having been barriers who lived in a dream of bliss?

He really wished he had someone else to talk to, but there was no one here he could trust.

Soon, a wounded Jaden and Axel appeared. Jaden explained what Jun already told him, but in less detail. He gave up his bed for Jaden to use, and was surprised to see that the dimension made his Ojamas and Winged Kuriboh solid. However, it looked like nobody could see his past incarnations standing around.

Alexis and Jesse made a plan to round up the students and search the place. Jun gushed over Jesse like a mother as Chazz went out and did as planned with Jaswinder and Xiaoling doing the same. Jaswinder reported to her that Yubel was bought over to this dimension by Adrian who must've made a deal with her. Chazz knew that guy was shifty! If he was powerful enough, he'd end everything right now! But since he can't use his powers near her without her going berserk and killing everyone, he just had to lay low.

After searching, they all rounded up at the gym where they tried to calm down the students. They also discovered that they only had a week to survive before they began eating each other. Then, stupid Adrian arrived to alert them about someone coming. Chazz remained within the academy just in case something happened, and to also help Ms. Dorothy with the supplies since everyone else was being a little piss-baby.

When they came back, he was informed by Alexis that it was Bastion they found, and he was currently resting. Chazz felt his chest seized up. _"Bastion!"_ He knew he couldn't just walk into the infirmary and use his powers without being caught, so he played it cool, and when it came to guard duty, he chose to stay in solitude by heading to the roof.

He took a seat, and tried to focus on using his astral projection powers, but his Ojamas were being noisy, so he kicked them off. Receiving silence, he projected his soul out. He flew over to his Ojamas and his friends to wave his hands and yell at them, but they didn't react. It looked like he was just as invisible as his past incarnation. That meant that he was safe from being detected from Yubel, so he hurried to the infirmary where the first thing he did was place his hands on Bastion's temples. He felt his exhaustion and trauma from having been stuck in this desert for almost a month.

Jaswinder appeared and helped guide Chazz in softening the trauma through blurry the images of being attacked. He swore to never mess with another person's mind, but the doctor assured him that Bastion would be grateful. She had him restore the young man's strength by providing the nutrition that he lacked.

The furrow between Bastion's brows, and his scowl lightened, and he looked like he was sleeping like a baby again. Chazz smiled down at this, but then a scream tore through the air. Only then did the dark Slifer noticed that Jaden and Axel were awake. Chazz followed them to the scream, and they found Blair who was scratched. He was going to heal her, but Jun stopped him.

"Don't. This is a part of Yubel's plan. If you heal her, she'll become suspicious."

"But Blair!"

"She'll survive. That scratch is nothing, but it will act as a tool necessary for Yubel's next plan for Jaden."

"What plan?!"

She explained, "She harmed Blair in a way that requires medicine that they don't have. I scouted the area. There's a submarine, and Bastion must've seen it on his way. No doubt, Jaden will leave to get it, so she can distract him from enacting her plan here. What it is, I don't know."

"So how are we supposed to prevent that! If you can't tell what she's planning, then can't we use mind reading? She possessed that Marcel guy right? She has a brain that I can tap into!"

Jaswinder unfortunately told him, "You could, but she may notice you trying to read her mind. This is a very delicate situation. One wrong move, and she may go on a frenzy to find the psychic among us."

"Then why don't you do it. You have the experience."

Jaswinder considered it, and then nodded. "I'll use your body."

Chazz nodded back, and returned to his body. Jaswinder possessed his body since they couldn't risk Yubel spotting her. She closed his eyes to find Marcel. Voices were crowding their mind, and Chazz could hear them, too. They sort through the minds, and headed to the one in the library.

 _ **"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"**_

The scream ripped through Chazz's skull. The both of them came out of the mind contact, and thought their eyes and ears were bleeding.

"Boss!" The Ojamas cried out when their duelists dropped down on the ground on his side, covering his eyes as he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes so tightly to fight against the pulsing, drying pain of his head.

Jaswinder took control to heal their head. Chazz gasped for air, and opened his eyes to feel like his brain just went numbed, but his thoughts were still rolling. "What was that?" He whispered breathlessly. "...I heard her screaming...I felt her suffering..." Chazz didn't want to feel sympathetic for Yubel, but the brief pain provoked him to. Remembering the state that Levy was in, he replaced that unwanted sympathy with rage.

Jaswinder was back to her spirit form, and her face was contorted in agony and then fell into shock and insecurity. "I'm sorry. Her mind...It was so..."

"It's okay." Jun assured her unwavering, placing firm hands on her shoulders. "Yubel was exposed to the Light's essence. It appears that we can't even approach through mind. But we can still do something." She looked over to Chazz who stood up with fists clenched and head kept down to shadow his disappointment. "What we can do for now is not let Yubel get out of control. Remember, it's either you heal Blair and fight Yubel with others killed as a consequence, or you stay in the background, and help as best as you can. Your friends are already doing the best they can about the situation. You should trust them. Trust Jaden."

"You trusted Judai." Chazz pointed out coldly. "And look where that got you!"

"But you know what's the right choice here."

The ravenet growled, wanting to roar out that he had a third way, but he didn't. If only he had the fifth glass piece, he could end this. If only...

._._._.

 **Episode 121-130**

Chazz was walking through the hallway pissed off that he couldn't do anything but sit back again! This was really frustrating! He stopped his feet to first get a grip of his anger. Anymore angry, and he believed that he would turn into the Supreme King. That would be better since he can't use his powers unless someone was on the verge of dying. He can mostly do what he can do as a human and that was be supportive and duel. Something he learned well from Joey and his friends. Though, he was feeling like Mr. Kaiba right now.

He went into the infirmary to see if Blair was okay. She was breathing heavily while Ms. Fontaine was out looking throughout the school for something useful for her. Chazz wasn't going to heal her, but the least he could do was numb her pain a little to let her sleep in peace. He placed his hand on her forehead, and gently did he numb her to sleep for at least an hour or two.

"I see that you were bought here like everyone else." A British accent spoke gaily to him from behind.

Chazz removed his hand, and turned around to see Bastion with his long messy hair, rough, dry tanned skin, and hermit clothes. The grey-eyed duelist had her eyes glow silver at the sight of him, but only softly out of fear of being spotted. She kept her cool, crossed her arms, and said, "You're talking to me again?"

Bastion smirked at that attitude he missed for too long. "That depends. Are you in better control of your powers?" He rose a hand to her. "I have a good feeling you did because last night, I was actually aware that someone was messing with my head this time, but for a better purpose, and I saw that you're trying to do that again."

Chazz felt guilty for what she did previously, but she was different now. She looked down at that hand, and she could remember all those days the two danced together. The days when Bastion trusted her to not injure him just as she trusted the genius to not hurt her. She placed her hand on his, and she was twirled into hugging him. She was surprised to be put into this position in a graceful, silly way, but Chazz welcomed the familiar, radiating warmth, and even the strange sweaty smell that belonged only to the former Ra Yellow. She wrapped her arms around his neck on top of those safe, broad shoulder. She hadn't realized how much she missed him.

"Hey, Bastion! We got the oka-" Jaden stopped at the door when he saw that he was cutting into quite the emotional scene, but he wasn't noticed as the two were engrossed in their embrace.

Jim was following Jaden. He took a peek in and said, "Oh. So he does have a boyfriend."

Jaden was shocked by the assumption. "What? No, you have it wrong. They're just friends."

"I don't know, mate. I have plenty of close friends myself, but they never hug like that." They watched the two finally lean away, but they were still in arm's length of each other. From where they were standing, they could see the way Chazz gazed at Bastion with an ardent love that glimmered. "Or look at them like that. Better give these two some room, and we better get the supplies we need for our journey, now." Jim walked away to get an empty bag in case they found more supplies.

Jaden stood there for a bit, and his eyes flickered gold. At the same time, he could've sworn that Chazz's eye were softly glowing a dull silver. But just as the vile emotion tried to build up again, he smothered it by smiling, and thinking that he was glad that Bastion and Chazz were friends! If they were going out, then okay! That was none of his business anyway.

After their reunion hug, Chazz offered to cut Bastion's hair with Xiaoling possessing his arms. Ra forbid that he used the scissors. He then used his powers to remove the tan. Nobody would question that anyway.

Bastion told him about how he got into this dimension, and the things he discovered about it. Thanks to Chazz, it was easy for him to talk about his attacks, and he became more focused on the other details that fascinated him. Yet, he cut it short to know more about how his long missed friend was.

Chazz told him that he had to do it telepathically, so a whole story was crammed into his head in about a minute, but to them, it felt like hours went by as Chazz explained about how he was the speck of light, the connection to his past incarnations, the childhood he once had with Jaden as his childhood love, and then the war that took it all away from him, and how it changed him before he came to Duel Academy. It felt so good finally sharing this with someone outside of the circle. Chazz didn't go into full detail about the war, but telling Bastion straightforward about how an alien entity, that murdered children and duel monsters, tried to give her Stockholm syndrome for an undetermined amount of time wasn't exactly something easy to hear or think. The Harsh Darkness had billions of years to plan things through, and breaking through a tight security just at the right moment, and knowing how to depower Chazz before she could fight it with her card just proved how dangerous that entity was. Yet, no matter how clever or powerful it was or became, there was only one thing it couldn't do which was the most important part of its plan, and that was receiving her love. Yet, what seemed to get to Bastion the most was when he told him about how his first suicide attempt went.

In the end, Bastion looked and stayed still like a stone. His skin was a sickly grayish pale, the look in his eyes were distant, and his mouth was slight agape. It took another minute for him to gather himself before he softly spoke, "Chazz...you..."

 _PAT!_

The ballerina patted the genius's head a little too energetically. It was more of Xiaoling's doing while Chazz spoke for himself, "Don't worry. The Chazz is not down for the count, and he won't be, so don't think so hard about it. It's over. Like your traumatic memories from here, I softened mine a bit, and I learned about how to control my triggers and all the other annoying stuff that I had to do. I still take sugar pills and have my moments of depression, but I'm all around better now through the love and support of my family and friends. Cliche', I know, but it works." The dark haired teen wrapped his freed arms around his dear friend. His nose ticking the nape of his neck. Chazz didn't tell Bastion about Yubel, yet, since the moment was sensitive, but he was happy. He wanted to stay in that mood for however long he could. "I'm glad you're here. You have no idea how much I wanted someone new but also someone who I can trust to talk to."

Bastion was still disturbed by what he just learned about the quirky, confident duelist, but the teen seemed genuinely fine. He afforded to smile for her. "I'm glad to hear that."

Suddenly, Syrus opened the boy's bathroom door to tell them that Jaden and the others were leaving. "Oh Bastion, your hair looks great! I didn't know you could cut hair, Chazz."

"It's one of my hidden talents!" Chazz boasted, which received snickering around him, except from Syrus who rose an eyebrow at Bastion's mirthful smirk.

Chazz put down the scissors he borrowed from the nurse's office, and told Bastion, "I'll tell you the rest when I'm off duty. Better use that nerdy noggin of yours to get us out of here!"

The genius nodded. Determination flashing before his eyes. "You can count on me."

The two shared a look that rose alarms in the bluenet. He wanted to ask, but thought he should try asking Bastion when they had the time. For now, Chazz followed him to the front of the school building, and the Ojama deck user promised to keep the place safe. Jaden trusted him to do so.

So while he and the others were gone, Chazz gave himself the duty to protect the food supply. Who better than he, of course! He was in such a good mood, but guarding duty got boring, so he napped a bit.

"Her happiness is overshadowing her sense of danger." Jaswinder complained in their soul room since Chazz had to be awake.

"She is a teenager. Even you had those moments, right?" Jun pointed out. "I was always in a state of constant awareness since I was traumatize when I was one."

"I believe we should let him embrace this happiness for now." Xiaoling yawned.

"Is he even aware that his bio-bands is still sucking energy out of him?" The doctor questioned, warily.

"He does. Also- Wait."

Chazz woke up when he heard someone coming in. It was some drowsy teen asking for a duel. The Chazz knew that his energy would be sucked up by Yubel, but he was prepared this time to energize himself before dropping. The faster Yubel gets her body, then the faster all of this could wrap up, and Jaden could duel her, and he could trap her!

However, there were a ton of them coming in, and the fear in Chazz's chest made his body covered in electricity. He had a limiter on, but he was definitely feeling assaulted as the duelists kept coming closer and closer. He couldn't use any of his powers without sending alarms. He tried to think of a way and Xiaoling was about to come to his rescue, but Chazz screamed as he exit his body through astral projection. The duel ghouls touched his lifeless body, and animated it into a duel ghoul!

"NOOO! Why did I do that?! Stupid! Stupid!" Chazz wanted to hit his head against a wall, but he only phased through it.

His past incarnations were still around since he was still technically awake. They let him rant until he was sobbing on the floor. They comforted him, and reminded him that he could still use his powers to heal. Just to make sure it wasn't during his ghoul's duel. A little bit of light energy from doing astral projection may not send warning signs to Yubel.

And thus, Chazz was forced to really take a seat back, and do his best to keep everyone energized enough to run away, and not lag behind as the duel ghouls came. He felt sorry for Syrus when he got caught in his locker as if he was in some sort of horror movie. He'll definitely need Chazz to soften that trauma.

Jaden and the others came, and they were able to get to Blair, but Ms. Fontaine became a duel ghoul. Jaden was able to deal with him, but his reckless dueling made the ceiling collapse. Chazz possessed their bodies to make them stand where there were holes in the ceiling, so they weren't crushed. They were able to reach the gym, and Blair was cured.

The next day, making it two days since they arrived, Yubel distracted them by proposing a triple duel. Chazz knew something was up, and it turned out that the dragon duel monster just wanted them to catch the signal coming from that scientist Prof. Eisensteen. The teen wondered if Yubel knew if the Rainbow Dragon was going to be found. Did she know that he would send those coordinates, or was she aware that Pegasus may be close to finding the dragon. Either way seemed impossible, so he guessed that it was either the light of Destruction's power that gave her the ability to foresee this event, or she was taking a huge gamble. It could be a mix of both to make sense of the situation, and Yubel probably couldn't foresee Chazz as the speck of light, or she was planning a trap.

Everything else that happened afterwards went by so fast, and everyone was scattered doing their own thing that the only thing Chazz was sure of doing was trying to save Jesse, but just as the teleportation was happening, Chazz witnessed Yubel trying to possess him.

Flashback of Levy's misery flew through his eyes, and his body flew faster.

"NO!"

He knew he should've possessed the body, but instead, he accidentally pushed Jesse's soul out. Chazz tried to fix this quickly, but he could feel himself fade away as his body was being taken back to the human dimension. Jun merged with his soul to quickly have him push Jesse's soul into the Rainbow Dragon for safety.

Then everything went white.

._._._.

A/N: So Yubel is too poisonous for Chazz to get near to, everyone else is too busy trying to keep the universe from destroying itself, and Chazz is still clumsy with his powers, so this mess of events happened.

And Chazz's and Jim's attraction is purely sexual and curious.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N:

I kinda mixed the sub and dub dialogue for Chazz and Jaden from episode 135 in this story.

I'm happy that you liked the last chapter, **Guest** , and the rest of you for reading it! I'm glad that you liked the parts that explained things that even confused me. There's going to be some Sartorius, and his tarot readings are just as random as the show!

._._._.

 **Episode 131-132**

In the complete darkness of his room, Sartorius sat in front of a window where he enjoyed the sight of a dark cloudy sky through the window. He had withdrawn himself from being Aster's manager since he was only capable of handling the job in the first place due to his ability to foretell the future. Aster didn't want him to since that would mean that they would barely see each other, but Sartorius told him that even if Aster was to withdraw from the pro-circuit, they wouldn't be spending time together since Pegasus with a few other scientists wanted to question him in order to understand the evil entity in space. The former slave to the Light of Destruction was immensely uncomfortable with doing it, but he didn't want anyone else to experience what he did, so he agreed.

It was a strenuous process since they had to go about it slowly due to him still trying to cope with his experience of being possessed for over half a decade. The very thought of the monstrous energy had his hands quiver, and his mind going blank that the questions he was supposed to answer had to be given rain check after rain check since all he would see was white. Only white.

It made him want to despise the color, but he sought reason, and learned ways to calm himself, and prevent hatred from entering his heart. Slowly did the vile poisonous feeling dripped into his heart, but he still struggled no matter how frustrated he may become. He had to fight for himself, Sarina and Aster.

Sartorius sighed, and then looked over to the table beside him. He couldn't see it, but he knew that it held his tea cup and his useless tarot cards. He only kept that deck around as a reminder of his goal to never let himself be manipulated ever again. So much destruction almost came true because of his gift and these cards. He hoped to never be made to use them again.

 _BOOM! CRACK!_

The roar of thunder, and the flash of lightning that filled the man's eyes with white frightened Sartorius off of his chair that it banged against the floor. His hand accidentally knocked down the table, and shattered the tea cup and scattered the cards.

Sarina ran into the room, having heard the crashes. "Brother! Are you okay?!"

Sartorius felt his quickened heartbeat slowed down once he processed what happened. He answered a little breathless. "Don't worry, Sarina. I'm fine. The lightning..." He stopped speaking when his sister turned on the lights. He was staring at the spilled cards on the floor, and to his amazement, ten of them formed a perfect Celtic Cross. His sister noticed and both were frightened by this phenomenon.

At the center of the cards was the Hanged Man; on top of it was the Lovers; to the left was the World and to the right was the Tower. Above the Hanged Man was strength while at the bottom was the Five of Cups. At the right of these cards were four others laid out vertically. From the bottom to the top was the Four of Swords, the Devil, the Knight of Swords, and then Death.

"How could this have happened?" Sarina questioned, completely at fearful awe. "It must be an omen. Do you think it could involve the Light of Destruction?"

Sartorius shivered at the idea, yet when he saw the first card to be read, his curiosity peaked over his fear. He answered his sister, "I'm not sure, Sarina, but I have a feeling I know what message that this may be conveying without my powers to foretell the future."

"Really? Then what could it possibly foretell, brother?" The two of them knelled down to closely inspect the cards.

He pointed at the first card that was to be read as the present. "This is the Hanged Man. In a normal reading, I would've believed that someone may be in the middle of coming to an epiphany. However at this moment, I can't help thinking that it may be related to Duel Academy."

"Duel Academy? You mean Jaden and his friends? Do you think Aster may be in trouble? He did tell us that he was stopping by there because of some rare cards."

"I don't know, Sarina, but that might be the case because of this card here." He pointed at the World. The person in the card seemed to shift and appear as Jaden to their eyes. "I once associated this card as a representation of Jaden Yuki, and the Hanged Man represented Chazz Princeton. I'm not sure, but I believe that I may be reading Mr. Princeton's fortune."

Sarina was very well aware of who Mr. Princeton was since he was the one Sartorius used to fetch her for his devious plans. However, she couldn't quite help thinking that this was out of place. Jaden and Aster were at the center of Sartorius' readings as the king pieces of a chess board, while Chazz seemed more of a pawn or horse piece. "Are you sure brother?"

Sartorius carefully picked up the Hanged Man card, and the man hanged upside down changed into Chazz. The former fortune teller could feel it throughout his very being that he was correct. "I'm positive, Sarina. I know I don't know Mr. Princeton very well since a majority of our time was spent with the both of us being brainwashed, but from what I do know, I always thought that this card suited him very well. The Hanged Man is actually the most mysterious of the tarot cards because it's practically a paradox where it contradict itself, yet always reigned true. Here, you see a man trapped in an unwanted situation with no freedom, but he is more free than you could ever understand. Mr. Princeton is the same. You may see a weak, confident duelist when put beside Aster or Jaden, but by himself, you'd recognize that he's one of the most powerful yet insecure duelists you could have ever known." Sartorius remembered their first meeting. "He is a person who embraces the darkness, but shines under the light. He is messy, yet organized. He's cruel and distant, yet lovingly devoted. You may call him one thing, but he's also the opposite."

"I see. So Mr. Princeton is never who he seems to be."

"Or perhaps he is. It's never clear. And thus, Mr. Princeton may appear to not be as significant as Jaden and Aster was during the Light's nefarious plans, but deep down, I knew that this duelist was more significant to the Light's plans than I was led to believe."

"Alright...then if this is Mr. Princeton's fortune then what could this foretell about him?" Sarina asked warily when she looked down at the card that represented the outcome: Death.

Sartorius was staring at the same card. "Something not very good, I'm afraid, but I could be wrong since Death also means new beginnings, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Starting here, this card, the Lovers, in this reading represents the challenge, and it looks like the World or Jaden is the cause as to why Chazz is being challenged by it." The couple in the lovers cards changed into Chazz and Jaden, yet the angel changed into the Devil. Sarina rose her eyebrows very high that they practically wanted to blend into her hair. This was a very strange reading.

Her brother continued, sounding wary, "And from the looks of the Tower that represents what will happen in the near future, something unfortunate will happen, and the one responsible is the Devil. However, it's never entirely the Devil's fault. It's possible that Jaden and Chazz is allowing the Devil to let this happen whether they are aware of it or not. But they are not alone. It appears that Mr. Princeton's goal is to regain self control." He pointed at the Strength card. The Lion changed into the ravenet duelist while the woman changed into a dark woman who looked similar to him. "But it appears that he is filled with grief." He pointed at the Five of Cups card, where Chazz stood with four cups standing yet one fell down unlike the original. He then pointed at the Four of Swords card. "Yet he is receiving advice from someone to take a moment to contemplate." Chazz is the one laying down with three women holding a sword while his is on the ground.

"So in short, Chazz and Jaden is being haunted by the Devil because of love, and in the near future, all will break lose if Chazz doesn't learn to try to regain control of himself. He has to, but he can't because he's grieving for someone. What about this card brother?" She pointed at the Knight of Swords. Both siblings looked closely at the knight charging into battle, and somehow, they could see the man's eyes glowing gold.

Sartorius furrowed his brows. "This card is supposed to represent the hopes and fears of Mr. Princeton, and it appears to be a knight who is the most logical yet ruthless of all the knights."

"Why in heavens name would he hope for someone like that?"

"Perhaps Aster may know something. I'll call him." He took out his phone, and Aster answered on the first ring. Sartorius was relieved to hear his voice, and asked if everything was okay. Aster told him everything about how Duel Academy was teleported to another dimension, but it was teleported back safely with little casualties.

The man was glad to hear that, but that also made him worried because the cards may be foretelling of another disaster that will take place soon. Sartorius pleaded with Aster to remain near Jaden and Chazz because whoever may have been responsible for the event may be still plotting against them. The pro was confused of why Chazz was important, too. Sartorius explained about the cards, and Aster was dubious of the omen, but he took the warning seriously for his ex-manager.

He then caught Chancellor Sheppard heading to the Slifer dorm where Jaden and his friends were at. He told Sartorius that he would call back before following the man. He wasn't aware that Zane was listening into his conversation, and followed him, too.

At the Slifer cafeteria, everyone ate their meal, and then waited for Jaden to come down. No one was aware that Chazz wasn't himself. Xiaoling was pretending to be him, while the teen was huddled in his soul room unable to believe the mistakes he did.

 _"STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! Why can't I do anything right! Come on, Chazz! You spent two whole months training your powers, and astral projection was the one thing you were a master at! Now because of me, Yubel has Jesse's body. Jun might've put his soul in the Rainbow Dragon, but that still leaves him with Yubel! If I had just stayed calm, Jesse would be here, and Jaden wouldn't be hauled up in his room feeling guilty. If only I had stayed calm! FUCKIN' CALM! There was a plan! We had a plan! Why can't I follow anything through to the end!"_

"Not every plan is done perfectly." Jun reminded him. Her arms crossed and her expression stiff to not give away any of her thoughts unlike Chazz.

"She's right." Jaswinder sat beside him with a hand rubbing his back soothingly. "We can still fix this. You are not the type to make the same mistakes again. Yubel will create a portal that will lead us to where she is, which will make it easier for us to track her down, and we might still be able to go as planned."

Chazz lowly spoke, "If I had a better hold of my powers, we wouldn't be having this problem. Yubel lost that duel-"

"To Jesse." Jun pointed out. "Jaden had to be the one to deliver the finishing blow, but he didn't. He couldn't. Even with the Neo spacians, he was weak."

The ravenet gasped, "Then he can't..."

The knight shook her head. "I don't know. Jaden wasn't dueling like he did with Kagemaru or Sartorius. He wasn't himself because of the guilt that Yubel is instilling in him."

"He needs someone to talk to him." Jaswinder said.

However, Chazz replied, "But not with me. Jaden and I aren't close as before, and we aren't that close now compared to Syrus or Alexis or the others. They can talk to him. I...I need to figure out how to fix this mess..."

 _Song: Sally's Song and Corpse Bride Medley by Trickywi from Nightmare before Christmas and Corpse Bride_

"Not just you," Jaswinder encouragingly said, "We will find a way to fix this mess. We are all responsible, and we can fix this. Jaden's friends can help him while we work together."

Jun nodded. It was for the best. Chazz talking to Jaden may turn for the worse, and cause a strain in their relationship and to the mission. Their only goal was to make sure Jaden dueled Yubel, freed Jesse, and they captured her without killing Levy in the process.

For now, they helped their current reincarnation onto his feet, and regain confidence in himself.

In the outside world, Chancellor Sheppard just explained about Jaden's childhood with Yubel. Aster was listening in on this, and he wondered if this Yubel was the Devil who Sartorius was referring to. He was surprised to find Zane eavesdropping, too, and he appeared to be in pain, but he brushed it off. Aster did feel a bit worried, but that was none of his business. However, it would be a good idea to keep Zane on the island until Yubel was bound to appear, so he talked to him. Zane was upfront about eavesdropping on his phone call earlier, so he did have plans on staying, but just for the fun.

That was good enough for the pro. He made a call to Sartorius to tell him of what he discovered. Sartorius found the news interesting, and wondered if Chazz and Jaden met as children. The former fortune teller was in the middle of trying to find answers in the tarot cards, and he kept drawing the same cards again and again, but he couldn't decipher what they meant.

Aster decided to do more modern research to find answers, so with Zane following him, they went to his yacht to do research on Chazz's childhood.

They started from the beginning where Chazz's parents died from a car crash when he was three. Nothing else interesting was said about Chazz after that, or showed any relation to Jaden as they looked through his background, too. But then, the two noticed a significant difference in the way Chazz smiled for the camera after he turned ten-years-old. Before he was smiling like any child having fun, but this one appeared to be smiling out of necessity, and the rest were the same. His body was always put at attention to appear polite and formal, and his grey eyes were hollow and tired despite the winning smile he sported.

"Looks like someone was told that Santa Claus didn't exist." Zane cruelly joked.

"Yeah, but nothing in the Princeton database can tell us if Chazz and Jaden knew each other."

"Maybe your boyfriend made a mistake."

"Maybe we're just not looking for answers at the right place." Aster replied without making a comment about the 'boyfriend' part, which made Zane arch an eyebrow for a second before losing interest.

They went back to the Slifer cafeteria to see that everyone left, but they would come back for dinner, and see if Jaden will come down.

Chazz who took back his body was at the dance studio with his ballet shoes on. His past incarnations stood before him. The teen was advised that the best way to pass the time and think clearly was through movement, so as inappropriate as this felt, Chazz had to do something until Yubel arrived. He couldn't move, however, without the music. Something that came to him naturally.

Jun helped by humming. Jaswinder followed with Xiaoling providing a lovely harmony. Chazz followed the rhythm of their voices at first, but his own true feelings came to light to reveal the remorse, the doubt, the hate, the fear, and every other emotion that was deep inside him. Tears built in his eyes, but he refused to cry because the mission wasn't over yet, but his feet came to a slow stop without a satisfying end to his dance.

Chazz did feel more encouraged to follow through with the rest of the mission, while trying to suppress his emotions, but that came out with a fist to the wall. If it weren't for the limiter, the wall might've had actual harm inflicted on it. He then noticed that because of his emotions, his past incarnations weren't around.

"Wow, that was quite a show. I tried ballet once, but I wasn't a fan for the tights. I don't want my fans to know what I'm packing after all." Aster joked as he let his presence be noticed.

Chazz furrowed his brows at him and Zane. He was not in the mood to talk to two assholes. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Now. Now. We're not here to fight. We just have a few questions."

"What could you two possibly want to know?"

"Let's start with an explanation. Sartorius had a reading. Unbelievable, I know. And he can't tell for sure what it means, either. But maybe you can shine a light in this. You see, we believe that you know who Yubel is." Aster believed he was given his answer when Chazz's eyes widened to saucers, and his whole body tensed. He continued, "And that you and Jaden actually knew each other before meeting at Duel Academy." Chazz's hands turned into fists, and his pupils seem to dilate. "So there's a chance you actually know the entire story of what is happening."

"No, I don't." Chazz's body immediately loosened up and returned to normal in such an unnatural way that both Aster and Zane believed that they were hallucinating Chazz's nervousness. "Are you listening to yourselves? How can a rich kid like me meet a no-name like Jaden? Even if we did, it must've been really brief because I don't have the time to hang around slackers like him."

That did make sense, if not for how Chazz was reacting earlier.

"Are you sure?" Aster questioned. "Chazz, you know better than to withhold the truth. Especially when Yubel plans on coming back, and I think she won't be as merciful as before."

"I know." Those words slipped from the speck of light's mouth before he could stop himself. He smoothly fixed it, "It's obvious that Yubel is coming back because she wants Jaden, and she's a psycho who'll do anything to do that. And Jaden will be the idiot he is, and fall into her trap. He's the one who's going to put everyone in danger, so it's better if you go talk to him."

"We plan on that, but we're talking to you, Chazz. Do you have plans on following or preventing Jaden from going into this trap?"

Chazz was insulted to be asked that question, "Preventing obviously, but you know, Jaden. He does what he wants, and I will have no choice but to follow. Someone needs to watch out for the others."

"And for yourself?"

The dancer wasn't sure if he should be talking to them about this, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to speak to someone else, and Bastion was too busy with Professor Eisensteen. "I'm sure one of them will look out for me, but if things get out of hand, then it's a risk that I'm going to have to take. Like you said, Yubel won't be merciful, but someone has to watch out for the others to make sure they come back home."

"Come back?" Aster caught that, and Chazz realized that he messed up. "What do you mean come back? Are you telling me that you know what Yubel is planning?!"

"I don't!...Not entirely. Look! Just go talk to Jaden! He needs someone to talk to him, and even you assholes will do!" He turned away, but Aster grasped his shoulder to keep him from doing so.

"We're not done talking! Chazz, what do you know?!"

"It's none of your business! If you're so curious, go ask Sartorius!"

"I already have an answer, and it's not good! Sartorius predicts that people will die! Our friends and maybe even Jaden will be killed at the end of this!"

Chazz stiffened. He knew already that people were killed by Yubel, and he wouldn't be surprise if people were being killed by her right now. He nodded his head down, and declared, "I won't let that happen."

"How?! Are you saying that you plan on facing Yubel yourself?"

"No, but I'll make sure none of our friends die, even if it kills me." Chazz didn't want to die, but everyone with powers was too busy saving the universe, and his friends and Jaden were bound to get into deeper trouble than they could ever imagine. He had to do something.

Aster inwardly gasped at Chazz's declaration. "You can't be serious!"

"So what if I am! Go ahead and tell everyone! You know it will do JACK SHIT to change their minds from following Jaden to whatever fucked up dimension Yubel has planned a road trip to next! Yubel might kill them to have Jaden all to herself, and I can't let that happen!" Chazz's rough, male voice slipped to her female one, catching the men off guard. "There's so much that you don't understand, so don't waltz in here thinking you can do anything! YOU CAN'T! People are going to sacrifice themselves, and I might as well be the first and last one!"

Aster was completely dumbfounded in discovering something about Chazz, but he focused on the important topic. "What do you mean I can't! If I remember correctly, I'm a better duelist than you!"

"It's not about dueling! It's about making sure the people you love don't die, and only I can make sure that everyone goes back home!"

"Why is that?!"

"It just is! There's no point in explaining it to you, so leave me alone!" She shrugged off his hand, and made for the door.

"We're not done talking!" Aster yelled. He was not going to be dismissed like that! He was a damn prodigy! He worked so hard all his life to be the best, so he could do anything! He was not going to be told that he couldn't now. "You think I'm going to stand back and let you die! Chazz, you-"

Chazz couldn't handle this right now, so she turned back, and wedged a distance between them by her power.

Aster found himself unable to approach, "I-I can't move. Chazz, what did you do!"

Chazz was about to leave, but she knew better than to build this unneeded tension between them. She needed friends. Not enemies. She calmed herself down before speaking, "Relax. Be happy that I didn't play with your minds, but Aster..." She looked down as she spoke her next words, "I don't know if I'm going to die for sure, but if I am, then so be it. I just need to bring everyone back home."

Aster wanted to yell some more, but he realized that he let his temper get the best of him. He calmly asked, "Why won't you tell the truth?"

"I can't tell the truth because if there's a chance that Yubel knows the truth, she'll try to kill me, or kill everyone, trying to."

"Why?"

"I already told you that I can't say. I already said too much. It's almost dinner time, and I stink of sweat, so just let me off."

"Chazz..." Zane spoke. His adopted harsh tone turning slightly soft as if he cared. "If it's going to be your last duel, then don't make it a disappointment."

Chazz stared at him, feeling like half of the old and half of the new Zane was speaking to him. She just nodded, and then walked away.

The two pros sighed silently at what just happened.

"Can you believe what Chazz just did right there?" Aster questioned in disbelief.

"Does it matter?" Zane was curious, and had a nagging feeling that he already knew this about Chazz.

"Guess not at the moment. So do you have plans on following them, too?" Aster asked Zane.

"Only to track down Yubel."

"Really? Well, whatever. You do your thing. I guess I'm in it for the same thing but for a different reason now." Aster couldn't back down. Not when someone like Chazz was willing to get himself killed for everyone else. His conscience wouldn't let him. "If we're going, it's best to do it without Chazz knowing. He...or she might stop us by...whatever that guy just did."

"Whatever. I learned it's best to work alone to get what I want. Yubel could just be playing games with Jaden, so I might find her before they do, and I'll duel her."

"Don't you mean we will find her?"

Zane didn't answer that. He just walked away, and Aster followed since they sort of worked as a duo, and he was secretly worried about Zane's heart.

Back at Sartorius' room, the former fortune teller was still trying to understand what his cards were telling him. He shuffled them again, and was once again welcomed by four queens.

Xiaoling appeared as the Queen of Pentacles.

Jaswinder appeared as the Queen of Swords.

Jun appeared as the Queen of Wands.

Chazz stood as the Queen of Cups.

Next came the card of the Star that was placed above the four queens. The person in the card seemed to take the appearance of a dragon somehow, and the water dripped from its eyes. Beside it was the Chariot card that gave Sartorius an ominous feeling.

"What is it? What could this all mean?"

He placed down one more card, and was greeted by the card of Judgement.

._._._.

Chazz wondered if he was doing the right thing as he waited with the others at the cafeteria. He could sense the portal opening, and Aster felt the same thing, but wasn't aware of it as he and Zane were walking through the woods in case Yubel were to appear. Winged Kuriboh was doing the same, and he discovered the portal before anyone, and warned Jaden. Bastion soon came to the cafeteria to tell everyone that the portal arrived.

Alexis knew that Jaden would head to it, and they all headed to his room to see that he already went off. Chazz's ojamas had noticed Winged Kuriboh earlier, and that Jaden just left, so they were able to catch up to him if they hurried their packing.

Chazz was _pissed_. He knew that Jaden would do this, but it still ticked him off that he went off on his own like that without a word! Jaden had friends here, and for TWO fuckin' YEARS he's been preaching about friendship and all that, and he did THIS?! Chazz already had his stuff packed up, so he just grabbed his bag from his room, and ignored his frightened ojamas. They didn't want him to go for fear of his death, but they knew they could do nothing but at least fight by his side.

Bastion wanted to talk to him, but everyone else had also packed up, and they didn't waste any time to catch up to Jaden. They were able to reach him, and just as predicted, Jaden was going to go no matter what they said. Chazz wanted to teleport him back to his room and keep him there to prevent the disaster ahead, but only Jaden could stop Yubel. Chazz could just keep their friends away from all this, but Jaden needed someone to talk to him throughout this journey, and Chazz didn't believe that he could provide that sort of support. They all had to be there in order to take down Yubel.

He didn't hesitate to offer his help, but was shot down. Chazz wanted to PUNCH him, but the others kept him back. They were all with Chazz on going with Jaden to this new world. When the portal was about to close, they unleashed their strongest monsters to stabilize it. Chazz could do it on his own easily, but he had to test everyone's willingness to go.

The portal exploded by their onslaught of duel energy, and they were teleported to a new, ominous world.

Everyone was together except for Jaden who ran off on his own much to Chazz' frustration. However, Axel was going to go find him, and the ravenet figured that the soldier could be trusted. So while he left, Bastion was writing his formula, everyone was staring forward, and Chazz kept looking back to make sure they weren't ambushed.

Jun took to the sky to figure out where they were, and soon came back to report, "We're going to need a change of plans. That portal sent us to the Dark World."

Chazz's heart seized up. He remembered learning about this place from Crimson. This was the only dimension where people died after losing a duel.

Jun continued, "Not only that, but it looks like the comet that hit the Light is crossing through the sky in this dimension, and it works like a moon to give enough light for the creatures to roam across these dark plains, but a better view of it is at the other side. Not only that but Yubel is using her power to send duel monsters from other dimensions as sacrifices for a power source that's taking their duel energy."

Chazz communicated through his mind, _"I noticed the strange shifting in the atmosphere around here. I can feel hundreds of energies popping across the dimension, but it's not heading to the sky. Instead, it's all being redirected to that source. Is Yubel still trying to give herself more power?"_

"This may sound ironic, but I hope she is." Jun said as she glared off into the distance. The speck of lights could feel two powerful sources of energy dancing across the dimensions that they couldn't tell which one was Yubel exactly. "Taking this much duel energy can power an invincible card, and if Yubel plans to have that card, chaos will truly reign."

 _"And what about Levy? If Jaden duels Yubel here, then Levy will die if he wins! But if he doesn't, then-"_

"Then we'll have to find Yubel first, and we may not be able to attack or trap her, but we may be powerful enough to throw her in a safer dimension." Xiaoling smoothly reasoned to him. "Don't worry. I'll take over for you again after we use one of the magical doors that'll get us closer. You three can go have your fun."

Jaswinder added, "I hate to say this, but it's best to leave Bastion out of the rest of this trip. If anything happens to us, the others will still have a chance to go home with him safe."

Chazz liked those suggestions. _"Alright. Xiaoling, make sure that you don't put yourself in a situation where you have to duel since I don't have an extra deck for you, and only shoot your guns if necessary."_

"No worries. I'm the most slippery out of the three of us after all." The kitten purred.

Axel soon arrived to inform them that he found both Jaden and Bastion who they just noticed disappeared. They followed him to meet Tania who greeted herself, and explained to them about how she got there.

As she started to, Chazz grabbed Bastion to pull him to somewhere private to talk telepathically since that was faster. Chazz didn't waste time in revealing the truth of who Yubel truly was, the true connection between her and Jaden, and why Chazz couldn't take her down alone. Bastion was predictably shocked, but he understood the situation, though reluctant to accept it.

He gently gripped his best friend's shoulders as he pleaded, "Chazz, I understand that the stakes are higher than we could ever imagine, but please, no matter what, stay safe." He cupped one side of her face affectionately to support his next words. "I'm not leaving here without you. Know that."

Chazz couldn't make that promise, but Bastion didn't ask for it, so she just deceivingly nodded. Bastion gave a small smile, knowing that Chazz may not hold up her end of the bargain, but he needed to make sure that Chazz understood how much she meant to him.

The two shared what felt could be their last hug before reluctantly going back to the others since they had no time to lose.

Tania led everyone to a door that bought them to the other side of the dimension, and Bastion stayed back just as promised.

The grouped walked through the threshold, and Chazz looked back one more time to take a good look at Bastion who tried to look stoic, yet Chazz could see that he was afraid and probably miserable before the door closed for good. The teen's heart squeezed since Chazz could imagine that look on everyone he loved. Levy's face would've been worse. Chazz hoped she was still okay and clueless to all this.

._._._.

 **Episode 133-134**

Upon arriving at the other side, Chazz's heart dropped at the sight of the abandoned, ruined town. It was one thing to be told about it, but to actually witness the aftermath of the genocide that took place...Memories of the war flashed through his mind. He wasn't there when the others were suffering outside of his capture, so to think that the events were worse than this...Xiaoling possessed his body to keep him in character while Jun and Jaswinder stopped him from trying to imagine the horrors he didn't see. The mind was far more dangerous than reality after all.

Chazz quickly regained his composure to see himself running with the others to where a boy ran off to, only for that boy to be caught by some big ugly duel monster who was in desperate need of some grammar lessons. Hassleberry challenged it to a duel, but Jaden stopped him. He put himself on the line to protect everyone, but the way he went about it wasn't right.

He was dueling the same way that he dueled Yubel, and that kind of attitude was bound to put Jaden in trouble. Chazz wanted to say something. He wanted to say something, but he was afraid that the words that he would let out would be bitter and only make the situation worse. Jaden's cheerleaders were oblivious to the problem, but the others must've noticed, and would do something about it.

After the duel, a knight named Sir Freed arrived, and everyone followed him. Chazz lagged behind to do the switch with Xiaoling just as planned.

The duelist made sure to put on a cloak to disguise himself. She then felt out the two powerful energies with Jun and Jaswinder. They could feel them at different areas, but they couldn't pinpoint where they were exactly. She and her other two past incarnations couldn't split up since Chazz needed her sight and hearing to get to where he needed to be. Jaswinder did turn physical to help speed things up by carrying Chazz, and using her quick feet to bring them to their destination to the closest energy sources. They had to make a few stops in order to save some civilians from the ruthless soldiers, and guide them to a safer way.

Jun interrogated some of the soldiers for information on this war, and they discovered that there was a fortress nearby where the Mad King was using the duel energies to awaken an ancient card. The knight stabbed the informant without a worry since its energy wouldn't be transferred to the card since the card only took the energies of those who died by a duel.

A blind Chazz fearfully questioned, "That guy couldn't have meant..."

Jun returned back into a spirit to give him back his sight. "There are many cards that require a sacrifice of duel energy in order to be awakened such as the full usage of Exodia. But if it is Judai's card, then we need to stop this Mad King. "

"Are you sure we should?" Jaswinder questioned warily. "We are not sure if it is the card, and if it is, securing it or not will have consequences."

Jun understood, so said, "We can't make a real plan without seeing the truth before our eyes, but no doubt the card is almost coming to full fruition."

The duelist hated hearing the possibility of chaos growing and making things more difficult for his family who was still fighting their own battles with Crimson. "Then we can't waste any time. We're almost there. Jas-" Chazz stopped when Xiaoling telepathically warned them that Jaden had run off to an enemy camp on his own, and their friends are chasing after him.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Chazz felt her rage blow up that her past incarnations almost felt themselves disappear.

Jaswinder placed a calming hand on his forearm. "Chazz, focus on the objective."

The duelist growled, but she did control her emotions with the calming techniques that she was taught. She needed to face the bigger threat, but the idea of her friends perishing because of Jaden made her decision waver.

Jun and Jaswinder looked at each other, and the doctor could see a coldness in the older incarnation's silver eyes. The knight, who had experienced the far greater adventures that held the most cherished laughter and the greatest heart aches and torture that would darken any heart, had her mind set on taking a dangerous path for a greater outcome.

What Chazz chose now would determine the future, and Jun's cold logical mind shrouded over her feeling heart.

She spoke the cursed words, "Do what you think is best?"

Jaswinder wondered if she should intervene, but they already talked about it. Unleashing Jaden's full potential was a step in reassuring the world's future. Chazz will make sure the casualties won't be immense. But still, the doctor added, "But know that whatever you choose will have a consequence. You can either choose to take down the Mad King and secure the ultimate card, but by doing so, it could change Yubel's plans for the worse." She paused to let that sentence sink in. "Or you may choose to protect your friends, and allow Yubel to manipulate the events, which could bring them to their peril. None of these choices will turn this to our favor for the better, so either way Chazz, no choice is wrong."

Chazz thought about it quickly since Jaden could be already putting their friends' lives at risk. It was true that Xiaoling was already there, and she could reassure her friends' safety, and they could go take down the Mad King, but that could turn Yubel far more dangerous than she already was, and she was using Jesse's body, and held the Rainbow Dragon card. If she were to do anything to Jesse and possibly be crazy enough to kill herself, then Chazz would fail the mission and Levy. The idea of losing her best friend would never be on the table.

On the other hand, they were somewhat aware of what Yubel was planning, and they weren't entirely sure if the card was the Supreme King's card. People were already dying, and Chazz couldn't protect all of them without Yubel discovering, and the dragon might throw more innocent people into this needless death pool if he choose the former.

If this was a duel, Chazz will have to make sacrifices in order to gain what she wanted with less casualties.

She made her decision, "I'm going back. Xiaoling can protect them, but if we take down the Mad King and the card is the card we think it is now, it would be just as Jaswinder said. Yubel is far too powerful, and too dangerous for me to face. She also has Jesse and Levy held captive. I want to save these people sent by that monster against their will, but..."

Jun placed an understanding hand on her latest reincarnation's shoulder, "In every duel, there is a sacrifice, but the duelist can choose how many sacrifices they'll make, and your choice to minimize it is a wise one. And do not think that they are all helpless. There are warriors like Tania who can help themselves and others. You aren't alone in this fight."

Hearing those words did help soften the burden of her choice. She nodded, and Jaswinder turned solid to help her get to the others.

They were able to reach the camp, and Jaswinder and Jun didn't waste time to slaughter the fiendish monsters surrounding the place without being caught by the eyes of Jim and Axel who were watching Jaden duel from afar. After they were done, Chazz regained his sight and hearing, and smoothly traded with Xiaoling while everyone else was distracted by Sir Freed's sacrifice.

Chazz watched Jaden win the duel in the end, but like the rest, she could see that the slacker didn't realize the mistakes he made, even when something ominous dropped after the death of his opponent. He was so obsessed with finding Jesse, that Chazz could see that he was practically suicidal. He wanted to say something right then and there, but he bit his thumb to keep his mouth shut because he didn't want to mess things up. He could feel the rage ignited because of Jaden boiling, and he needed to calm it down, so his limiter didn't strip him of his powers.

Another reason he closed his mouth was because he foolishly still believed in Jaden. He still believed that the others may still be able to talk to him. They can help each other get right back on track. Chazz just needed to act when he was needed. That was all.

However, while Jaden was searching for something that Winged Kuriboh found, Chazz realized that her anger hadn't settled down yet. Her body was burning hot that the metaphorical heated steam was fogging up her mind from thinking clearly. She acted calm as she tried to be that way, but something was wrong with her body. She inwardly cried out to her past incarnations, but they weren't responding.

"What's happening?" Jun questioned when she couldn't exit from the soul room at will.

Jaswinder answered after giving it much thought, "The source of this must be from one of those beads that fell from Zure. Chazz must be infected by some sort of curse that is playing at his emotions. The limiter is aware of it, so his powers are shut down."

Xiaoling's fur bristled at the news. Jun petted her to soothe her anxiety. The former princess said, "Chazz cannot be killed unless his light is snuffed out, and only great entities or weapons as divine as them can do that, so let's hope that Chazz is the first to be sacrificed."

"Sacrificed?" Jaswinder rose an eyebrow. "But the card only takes duel energies from those who dueled within this dimension."

"I have the suspicion that the Mad King isn't aware of that. Yubel is the one orchestrating this whole thing, and I know how she thinks. Everything is going as planned."

Xiaoling whimpered under her hand, and then sighed, "So you were right after all, Jun. We are going to meet the Supreme King after all. You must feel guilty yet righteous."

"We couldn't prevent the death of the thousands who died in order to awaken the card because of Yubel. The least we can do is make sure those lost lives don't go in vain."

The three speck of lights bowed their heads in prayer to fate for justice to prevail.

 _Song: Wait For It - Leslie Odom Jr. and Hamilton Cast_

._._._.

 **Episode 135-136**

Chazz didn't understand what was happening. Jaden refused to listen to her, her anger refused to subside, and her duck went AWOL. Hassleberry's duck went ballistic, and that dragged the Rhodes siblings into their mess. Chazz felt her control slip further and further, and that led her to lowering her guard and being taken down by two measly soldiers of the dark army.

The next thing Chazz knew was that she was bounded by chains with her knees on a melting lava rock. The heat emitted from its cracks, and made it hard to breathe. She grabbed at her throat as she tried to gasp for air, but nothing would enter her lungs. When she thought she would die, a waterfall from the sky poured over her until she was caught in a flood. A hand grabbed her wrist and she was pulled out from the water.

"You okay, Renee?! That was a pretty big jump, huh!" An eight-year-old Jaden cried out happily while the two were swimming in the pool at a water park since it was his birthday today. Him, Levy, and his classmates and other friends were invited, and were having fun.

Chazz heard herself speak in such a jolly manner that she was aware that this was a memory playing before her eyes. "Oh please! I've jumped from higher with Light and Darkness Dragon! Right partner?!" She looked over to her beloved duel monster partner, who made a playful, keen whine that both agreed and disagreed with her. It was good to stay modest.

"That's awesome! I want to jump from the higher diving board, but that's the adult's own. Hey! When we grow up, Renee, let's go jump down from one together!"

"Idiot, two people can't jump down together from a diving board. But I do know a high beach cliff to jump off from! Maybe once my brothers allows you to meet them, we'll bring you to one of our vacation trips." The two pushed themselves up onto the side of the pool, and sat there next to each other. Chazz scooted herself closer to lie her head on her boyfriend's small shoulder.

"Really! Can I meet them now?"

"I said _when_ they allow you! My brothers are very busy people. They'll recognize you as my boyfriend until we dated long enough."

"How long?"

"Another year maybe."

"Another year! That's so looong! We've already dated for over a year! Isn't that enough!"

"Nope! My brothers have very high standards."

"They must be really high, but I'm glad they let you visit and sleepover at my house. It's so much more fun when you're around, Renee. I'm having a lot of fun right now!"

Chazz just smiled with a crimson blush coloring her cheeks.

But then Jaden's other friends called out to have him play with them. Jaden invited her to join, but she saw that the girl who tried to steal Jaden away last year was with them. She rejected with the excuse that she wanted to talk to Levy. The boy pouted, but he let her go.

Chazz walked over to Levy who was lying on a lounge chair underneath a parasol, enjoying her blue and purple shaved ice. She lied down on the lounge chair next to her. The daughter of a florist said, "It must suck to have your boyfriend play with that girl."

The aspired duelist huffed, "I don't really care. She never had a chance to begin with. Jaden only ignored me because of his parents! Not her!"

"So how come you didn't join him to play? I'm too tired from playing at the soccer game last night."

"It's fine. The breeze over here is nice, and I'm hungry." Chazz reached her hand over to the small table in between them for one of the creamy crackers. "And I don't like his friends, but only because they didn't like me first. Just because they know that girl better, they only think about the bad stuff about me like I'm bossy or whatever."

"You are bossy, but you're not a tyrant."

"I know, right! It's not like I control what Jaden does! He can go ahead and play with those stupid people. After the rest of my family finally meets him, then I can go see him whenever, and his new friends will know the true Chazz, and whether they like us or not together is their problem! But at least the reasons aren't stupid!"

"You're really boiling over this. Here. Have an ice cream sandwich." Levy pulled it out from the mini cooler placed next to her. Chazz thanked her as she took it. "So you really plan on being with Jaden forever?"

"We might have to break up if our careers gets in the way, but we'll get married in our late twenties to early thirties. The women in my life told me that's the best time to get married because by then we have everything figured out and settled down. Jaden and I will be pro duelists with kids, and I'll retire during my forties, and find something new to do, but I'll come back a few times for publicity reasons. My brothers agree that I should since I may become a great duelist, but people can only love you for so long before it begins to wane."

"Wane?"

"It means less excited, I think. I honestly don't believe people will ever get tired of the Chazz, or me getting tired of my adoring fans, but my brothers want me to work on a retirement plan while I'm at one of the academies for duelists like they did in their academies. Well more like Slade. Jagger probably had his planned in diapers. Anyway, Jaden can continue being a pro duelist until he's a hundred if he wants. But I'll make sure he doesn't get carried away with it and ruin his health. We'll have grandchildren and great grandchildren to see."

"Wow, you have everything planned."

"Planning is 'essential' in an organized life," Chazz spoke the e-word loud and clear to make sure he didn't speak it wrong. "Or that's what all the adults keep telling me."

"That explains why you always sound so smart."

"I do, huh." Chazz grinned at being indirectly complimented.

"And you really like Jaden, huh." The violet bluenette teased.

Yet, Chazz blushed. She felt safe to admit her feelings to Levy. "Yeah...I like him a lot."

The world suddenly darkened, and the next thing she knew was that she was in that white, white room with a large hand shoving her numbed head with the rest of her body down into a bathtub filled with white paint. She was then laid out onto the floor to dry before putting on a body suit that flattened her distinct body features into a blank slate. It did the same thing for the mid-bottom half of her face where it was covered and flattened, which made breathing difficult. And then the thing put a neck brace on her to keep her still as it painted several realistic looking eyes on her face while having her hair drenched in yellow paint.

It was humming a song, but the paint in his ears made it faint and distorted.

 _"This wasn't supposed to happen."_

Chazz heard his child self say.

 _"This isn't the plan. It was never the plan."_

The room darkened again, and Chazz was back in his own matured body. The child version of himself with the flattened body, the multiple looking eyes, and bleached hair was staring at the back of the child version of Jaden.

"We were supposed to be in love." She said. "We were supposed to be together. But..." The two children turned fifteen. "We forgot. But we're together again. Weren't we supposed to fall in love again despite not knowing the truth. The adults do it! Why can't we! Why didn't I fall in love with you! Why didn't you fall for me! Soulmates must be real because the adults found theirs. Even when they hated each other, even when they weren't the most important person in each others lives, or even when society didn't accept them, they fell in love again and again! Why didn't we! Were we not meant to be?!"

"We're not." Chazz spoke without thinking, but he didn't feel like his words were wrong.

The fifteen year-old Chazz turned around and aged only slightly to look completely similar, except for one thing. The original Chazz was startled when he saw his own mouth stitched together.

"AAAAH!" Jaden screamed as he received an attack from the enemy. His duel disk glowed, yet appeared to have nothing useful placed on it.

"Jaden!" Chazz cried out, but it appeared that Jaden won, however, more came, and he kept screaming from one attack to the other. His legs slightly trembled as he tried to stay up. Chazz wanted to run to him, but his body wouldn't move no matter how much he budged. Yet, he still cried out to him, "Stop! STOP! You don't have to duel them, you idiot! Run away if you have to! I said STOP!" But Jaden continued to duel and dueled just the way he was earlier. Yes, it was important to be serious and careful, but Jaden wasn't Zane. He won't last long like this! "Why isn't he listening to me?! Can't he hear me?!" Chazz looked over to the silenced him. "You! I know this is a dream, but I'm not the sadistic type of person to want to dream about this bullshit, so whatever stupid message this dream is trying to give me, I know it's through you, so unstitch that mouth and say something! Come on! Say something!" He reached out and pulled at the thread sticking out at the corner of his lips.

 _Song: I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace_

However, before he could pull it away, he woke up, and the first thing he saw was him in chains just like earlier in his dream, but this was a far worse nightmare when he looked beside him to see that his friends were in the same way before his ojamas appeared as the useless duel monsters they were. Then he heard Jaden calling out to him. He looked down, and saw the slacker dueling.

 _"What? Is..Is that Jaden dueling?_ _YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! JUN WAS RIGHT! JUN WAS ALWAYS RIGHT! SHE KNEW JADEN WOULD DO THIS TO OUR FRIENDS, AND IT FUCKIN' CAME TRUE!"_

"Jaden, you son of a bitch!"

 _"I thought I knew you! I thought you were the person who would never abandon anyone, but this is who you turned out to be, even when someone like Crimson practically raised you! I bet this still would've happened even if the Harsh Darkness never took me away! I was stupid to ever believe in you!"_

"I thought you came with us to rescue Jesse! But you've been acting all on your own from the start, not even caring about us! You're always just running head first into things, never thinking about the consequences!"

"Y-you're wrong-! Chazz, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not wrong! A guy like you would do that!"

 _"YOU WOULD! IT'S IN YOUR NATURE!"_

"You've always cared only about yourself! You ran into that portal knowing that your friends will never let you go alone! And to think we trusted you because of our friendship...But this is all fun and games for Jaden, and now, he's trying to act all cool, and tell me to hang tight?! I'm in chains because of you! I can't hang any tighter! This is all-Nngh!"

 _"This is all...this is all..."_

The curse finally released the ravanet, and he came to the realization of what he just did.

 _"This is all my fault..."_

He leaned back as his his body glowed and burst into starry embers.

 _"This is all because of me..."_ Chazz thought as he felt some of his energy taken away by the Mad King, yet his core center that was his soul and housed his soul room took to the sky. Within his soul room, Chazz hugged his legs, lamenting for his actions and choices, "It's all my fault that everyone is dying. If only I was strong enough- Alert enough to face the Harsh Darkness, no one would have to suffer now. Then..."

"That's a little egotistical of you, don't you think?" Jaswinder gently teased with a smile that Chazz didn't look at, but his body felt goosebumps as if her lips caressed him.

Jun's sun-like heat that radiated from her body could be felt against one side of his back and the curve of his neck. "We talked about what happened with the Harsh Darkness. We were prepared. You dueled him and won." The knight reminded him.

A small, soft creature laid on his lap. "You made every choice with good intentions." Xiaoling lazily sighed. "Sadly, everyone else's choice can turn it around, and you're stuck here, but nothing's stuck forever against their will." Chazz could feel her tail wrap around one of his upper arms.

"But if someone had to still take blame and fault, it's me." Jun admitted. "I knew what was going to happen, and I chose to let it happen. I chose to make you suffer, Chazz, for my selfish desires."

"I'm not suffering, and it's not your fault." The newest speck of light said nonchalantly. He knows he's been through this terrible emotional road before, and knew better of how to handle it. He leaned onto Jaswinder's back for support. "I'm miserable, but I made my own choices. I can't blame you just for predicting the obvious."

"And I could've stopped it. I have years of experience as a knight. I could've chosen a better road for you." The knight pointed out against herself.

"And I knew that, too, but I believed in Jaden. I knew he would do this, but I wanted to believe in him and my friends. I thought their friendship was strong against this like it was with Joey and Yugi and everyone else. Now, look where that got me."

"New choices and experience?" Jaswinder somewhat playfully answered.

Chazz just sighed quietly threw his nose. "Now because of Jaden and me, my friends will die. I don't think my limiter will let me."

"Chazz, you don't have your limiter anymore." The doctor reminded him. "I think you forgot a little detail from Lady Noe where if you lose your physical body, then the limiter is removed as well. You can still save them before they die now. They're not dead until they reach the afterlife's threshold."

The duelist finally opened his eyes, and rose within his soul room. Knowing that he still had a chance, he first looked out of his soul room to know where his core went. He was currently in the sky, and he could see the little traces of souls scattered among the atmosphere due to the disturbed flow of energy throughout the dimension.

The four specks of lights were surprised that they didn't notice before now, yet they understood that they probably couldn't since so much energy was moving about, and they were more focused on two instead of all of them.

This certainly changed the playing field.

Xiaoling spoke, "It looks like some are disappearing into the afterlife after spending an hour or more in the sky."

"These souls still have so much to live for, and Yubel won't notice our work from here, so it's our advantage." Jun pointed out.

"It'll be best to regenerate our body at an isolated location as we attract these souls to us, and keep them safe until this catastrophe is over."

Chazz nodded, and the four of them relocated themselves onto one of the highest mountains within the dimension. The newest reincarnated speck of light recreated his body and his clothes. His past incarnations appeared beside him, which took his taste, his hearing, and his sight, but all the only sense he truly needed was his ability to feel.

The four of them faced each other and raised their hands midway up with their palms facing the sky. All of their eyes glowed a soft silver as a black orb was created, and the souls spread throughout the sky came to it in a steady flow to not attract attention. Chazz saw Ojama Black and Ojama Green's soul enter, which made him know that Ojama Yellow was still on the loose. Yet, the duelist knew the yellow guy would be okay. He next soon saw the souls of Atticus, Alexis, and Hassleberry enter the orb. He wasn't worried since they would be asleep in the dark new world he created.

Xiaoling then gave herself the duty to hold onto the orb while the three of them went to play. She knew she would be given the details later so held the orb with her tail while she fell asleep.

Chazz smiled at her purring snores. She then faced the other two women. "You guys..." Chazz started. Her eyes fiercely glowing silver. "Let's say hello to the Supreme King."

The two women nodded.

 _Song: The Great Divide - Rebecca Black_

._._._.

A/N: Finally done! I've been writing this before it got busy, but then there was some technical problems that made me lose what I did write several times, despite saving the data, and I got really pissed off, so I had to take a break before I did something I regret with this story. I was hoping to get this chapter out before I became too occupied.

And you may be asking yourself, "Hm, souls of light collected in a container (orb/bottle)? Where have I read that before?" Heh. Heh. Kiss the Crossdresser thing...

In other news, we're finally about to meet the Supreme King! Early WARNING for possible OOC characterization.


	23. RECAP! NOT an update SORRY!

A/N: **THIS ISN'T A CHAPTER! IT'S A RECAP!**

There may/will be a time that you may want to look back into this story after a few months or years after its completion, so I'm going to summarize almost everything that basically happened in the previous twenty-chapters, so you (and I) don't have to look back unless you (and I) want to.

 **AND I HAD NOTHING PLANNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTERS (SORRY!), SO IT MIGHT TAKE UNTIL NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER FOR AN UPDATE DEPENDING ON HOW BUSY COLLEGE WILL MAKE ME!**

 **Chapter 1-7** : The story starts off with the explanation of the creation of the universe where the light and darkness are made and try to destroy each other. The light then discovered a piece of it being a different kind of light, and not wanting to have anything to do with it, it threw that speck of light into the darkness. There are actually two types of darkness. One is the Harsh Darkness, and the other is the Gentle Darkness. Luckily, the speck of Light met the Gentle Darkness, and they communicate through movement like dancing. At one point, the speck of light wanted to give the Gentle Darkness the gift of 'Life', but that could only happen if the Gentle Darkness killed her/make her explode through built up pressure. The universe was made with stars and planets, and the first life, the Numeron Dragon, was born. However, it surprisingly became lonely, so sacrificed itself in order to create humans which also led to the creation of Duel monsters in other dimensions.

The Light of Destruction saw this, so wanted to see it. The Gentle Darkness saw this as a threat, and seeing that the Light could mind control the humans, he thought it was better if he made a piece of him incarnated into one of the humans, and he would always be reborn when major destruction connected to the Light would take place. Unknown to him, the speck of light was also being reborn as a human.

This case of being reincarnated led to psychics somewhat witnessing it and knowing about the threat. However, this threat led to the discrimination and genocide of mixed light and darkness monsters and their interracial married or not parents. The speck of light was reborn as the princess, Jun, of these people who built a secret and guarded kingdom known as Light and Darkness Kingdom. The gentle darkness was reborn as a simple farm boy, Judai, away from this kingdom who was discovered and thus, adopted by the king.

The two wouldn't meet until they were seven-years-old because Judai's adopted father needed an ally in the upcoming war to come because all the other kingdoms wanted Judai's untapped power except them. Jun's parents foresaw this, so they already had a plan to make sure the war didn't happen. While the parents discussed, Jun and Judai would spend time together for only seven days (Yubel was there, too). Though it was short, Prince Judai became infatuated with Jun's maturity since she does take her role as princess very seriously, but can still act like a kid despite the heavy responsibilities put on her. Jun, in turn, falls for Judai's charming, innocent, yet childish personality that pours compliments all over her, and this spark of love gave life to Kuribohs from her. Only the original is given wings to be distinguished.

One thing to know is that dueling does exist in this dimension, but like the Dark dimension, people die after losing. However, a psychic inventor (Pegasus' past incarnation) in the Light and Darkness Kingdom found a way to make it safer, and it was called, "fake dueling". This inventor also happened to tell Judai during his visit to never ask Jun to marry him. This becomes a problem because after the seven days were over, Jun and Judai wrote to each other, and after seven years, Judai wrote a letter asking Jun to marry him in secret.

Before the letter could arrive, Jun's kingdom was attacked by the Harsh Darkness who was after Jun's soul, so it could create its own universe. However, the Harsh Darkness couldn't just take Jun's soul. He had to wait until it matured to the highest peak of her power in order to do so (but in the future, also discovered that it needed Chazz to also be in love for it to work, too.) Out of fun, it ripped Jun's wings off of her back which turned her symmetrical black and white skin into brown and peach. Her golden eyes changed to silver.

The Light of Destruction appeared, and it turned out the two entities were...kind of a team in this event, but the Light of Destruction never planned on having the Harsh Darkness have her. She just wanted to mess with Jun. The Light then warned Jun that Judai was coming (leaving out that it was to marry her), and at that moment Jun just couldn't bear having Judai see her in that grievous state, so she ran off.

She found herself at a forest, and goes through a deep depression while trying to survive through the knowledge she was given by her people such as how to built shelter, hunt, fish, and also murder bandits who try to kill her. One day, she couldn't take it anymore, so cuts her chest and bleed almost to death. What stopped her was a vision of her parents and her kingdom cheering her on to live on for them.

Her new resolve to live made her leave the forest and try to find her place in the world, and that led her to battle the Light of Destruction and use her Super De-fusion card to split their connection since she was only powerful enough to do that. At least the Light can't locate her anymore in that life or the next. In two years, she found a home at Ojama country.

She then enrolled herself at a knight's academy, so she would fight under Supreme King Judai, and try to make a difference in the world. In the academy, she met the three legendary knights: Hermos, Critias, and Timaeus. The four would become great friends, and the four legendary generals when a dimensional war breaks out when political discussions didn't go smoothly. They won the war, and that led to an invitation to a ball from the Supreme King.

That led to some serious discussions and silly events of whether Jun should tell Judai the truth of who she was. In the end, he discovered and they were about to finally be together, but then the Light revealed that Judai already promised to forever love Yubel and only Yubel. Jun, who took promises seriously, kept her distance from him for the next four years, and found out that her kingdom still existed in another dimension because she teleported it through her power without awareness. Judai still tried to keep her in his life, and Jun agreed to at least a sexual affair. She did this because she secretly discovered that the only way for her to separate the Harsh Darkness and the Light from their world was through sacrificing herself.

Before she would have to do so, she decided to give Judai a child to keep personal piece of her with him, but then it happened before his official queen (Alexis' past incarnation) got pregnant, so the child had to remain a secret as well. It was a peaceful pregnancy for the first six months, but then Yubel somehow was able to drive the Light crazy in order to distract Judai and the legendary knights while she killed Jun with a sword she crafted with the blood of Jun and Judai. Yubel was able to make the sword because the Harsh Darkness strategically left a book filled with multiple theoretical ways to kill Jun.

Although the sword was able to break Jun's Super De-fusion card into five glass shards, Jun wasn't actually going to die since she could only be killed if the core of her soul was snuffed out. But her baby was going to die, so she used almost all of her power of light to keep her baby alive, and continue to grow within a red star in the sky. The baby's name was Crimson, and yes, she's the Crimson dragon from 5ds.

Jun's body was destroyed by the Harsh Darkness after seeing that the card was destroyed, and it didn't know how to revive her correctly. Instead, Jun's soul core entered a book drenched in her blood, and sent itself into the Human dimension. The dimensions have a time difference until Judai used his card to combine the time lengths. He did not actually combine the dimensions due to the concerns of one dimension's weather conditions destroying other habitats nearby. The time difference between Jun's dimension and the human dimension is that for every one year, it passes one-thousand years in the human dimension, but this changes the more Judai combines other dimensions' times with their dimension.

Over the thousands of years, Jun is asleep in the book that turns into the Millennium tome where she feels out how the universe worked, and also, her blood gives life to Horakhty. Eventually, this goddess chose Shu (Syrus' past incarnation) to watch over Jun who had amnesia. Due to having used a majority of her light powers, her skin is pitch black, but her eyes are still silver. Shu named her Wadjet, and after a few years, she created the kingdom, Egypt, and had a son with Shu named Johan.

Jun eventually remembered her past memories, and she used her powers to reconnect with her five-year-old daughter, Crimson, who was taken care by the duel monsters she left her baby with. She also reconnects with the legendary knights who were frozen for the sake of a prophecy, and visited her kingdom. She doesn't reconnect with Judai because Yubel used a spell to make them all forget her. She also didn't do it because she knew that seeking justice will lead to a war that could involve almost all twelve dimensions since Yubel was well loved and respected more so than Judai by many.

Loving the people in the dimensions more than her own justice, she stayed away, and continued to rule until the Light needed her energy to survive since Judai's work in combining the twelve dimensions messed with her ability to slip a piece of her own universe into their own. Jun agreed to give all of her energy which would lead to snuffing her core out, but in exchange that the Light would keep the Harsh Darkness completely away from everyone.

After the agreement, Jun gave Shu one of the shards of her broken card to keep him safe and live a little longer. She then made sure her son became the rightful pharaoh of Egypt, and that she served as a protector of her kingdom. Her and Judai dueled over the rightful ownership of the Light and Darkness Kingdom, and she won, and then died.

 **Chapter 8-9** :

A thousand years later, Jun was reincarnated as Jaswinder. A human born in India, and grew up to become a doctor. She traveled the world until she in her twenties, she settled down in Egypt as the adopted daughter of Pharaoh Set and Queen Jona. Jaswinder also happened to grow up along side Crimson who was six-years-old, and also beside the Light who gave herself a human appearance, and told Jaswinder when she would die. Knowing this, Jaswinder didn't waste a moment in her life to do something worthwhile before her early end.

Judai came to Egypt with the hopes to find Wadjet who beat him in a duel while at the same time combining the time speed and stuff. He was told that Wadjet wasn't around anymore, but he still remained for at least two months after witnessing Jaswinder dance. The two spent every day together, and Judai fell for her, but was told about her early predicted end, so the two parted reluctantly since he still had to go rule a kingdom, and there was no sure way to prevent her death.

Before her death, Jaswinder was given Jun's memories, so she gave Jona one of her shards to keep her and their family safe as well. Soon after her death, Crimson tries to find the letters that Jun sent Judai during their childhood, and she was able to use her powers to reform the burned letters into a pile, but then Jaden caught her in the act, and it made him regain his memories of Jun. He then discovered what Yubel did, and knowing that arresting her would lead the kingdom in chaos, so he figured that the safest punishment was to split their friendship. But this led to Yubel trying to cut him down. Crimson appeared to protect him with her wings, but the sword that was used to kill Jun cut them, and left them in the state that you'd see in the anime. Judai protected her, and got killed. This somehow led to an explosion that destroyed the entire dimension.

The Light rescued Crimson, and put her into a deep sleep until her mother reincarnated again.

Years that I don't remember how long passed, Jaswinder was reincarnated as Xiaoling. A cat who was actually created by Noemi (Noah Kaiba's past incarnation), and she is a Dragon Li cat, but with symmetrical black and white fur and grey/silver eyes. The Light woke Crimson who went to see her. She told Xiaoling and her family of who she was, and showed obvious signs of survivor guilt, and felt partially responsible. Xiaoling and her family helps her move on and become a hero of the twelve dimensions. Crimson happened to be immortal so she lived for the next five thousand years until Chazz was reborn.

Xiaoling died just like Jun and Jaswinder, and gave her shard to Noemi.

 **Chapter 10-12** :

So Xiaoling is reborn as two separate beings: Chazz and Light and Darkness Dragon (LADD for short). In Kiss the Crossdresser story, six-year-old Chazz is discovered to be the speck of Light and thanks to his/her relationship with Light and Darkness Dragon, the specks of Lights who he could see, and the love provided from the shards owners, he was able to defeat Zorc.

A year later, Chazz and LADD meet Crimson, and with her help and others, she also met Jaden. The two spent Spring Break together at Jaden's house, and fall in love. Chazz also met ten-year-old Levy (Half of Yubel's reincarnation much like how Chazz and LADD are the reincarnation of one person), and the two of them become close best friends over their similar lifestyles and interests.

The Light who's supposedly an ally now revealed to Chazz of who Levy was, but Chazz still remained friends with her until the Harsh Darkness snatched him at just the right time, and put him, Levy and others who could see duel spirits through hell. Chazz's family went to rescue him, and they came across Levy who had the Yubel card because Jaden handed it to her. When they were close to finding Chazz, Yubel took over Levy's body, and split the soldiers who chose to help them, and they fought among each other.

The Light broke it up after using nearly all of her power combined from the other parallel universes to break Chazz free from the Harsh Darkness, and also weaken the Harsh Darkness along with her. They then agreed to a duel where Chazz and the Harsh Darkness will duel, and no one was allowed to interfere except for Yubel and Chazz's past incarnations.

As the duel was coming to an end, Yubel was able to split her sword into three to distract the specks of lights and have the tip of her sword fire at Chazz like a bullet. Levy was able to stop this by regaining control, and having the bullet shot into her. Chazz was distracted by this that his life points hit zero, but before the Harsh Darkness could accomplish his goal, he was able to play one card that made him take back his life points, and leave the thing as the loser.

Chazz used the Super De-fusion card and successfully removed the Harsh Darkness from her universe, but at the cost of losing Light and Darkness Dragon, and almost her own. She was revived by Noe/Noah, Joey, and Seto Kaiba. However, she was left in a case of deep depression that rendered her card in lifeless shards, her past incarnations being unable to be reached, and also, formed a case of amnesia and fabricated her memories in order to cope with herself after her family was able to stop her from committing suicide.

The Light of Destruction removed Yubel's memories of the war, and made a plan with Seto Kaiba's help to have her abandoned by Jaden and tortured by the Light forever. The plan went down successfully, and Crimson became Jaden's nanny to cope with the isolation that Yubel put him through.

Levy left to India to cope with the war while keeping her memories unlike the other survivors, and have the legendary knights help her get through it.

 **Chapter 13-22** :

Chazz grew up acting but not truly being the snobby, insensitive duelist he played to be among his peers. He had been continuously fighting his depression, anxiety and many other mental and emotional problems that he couldn't prove physically. Him and Jaden meet again, but neither of them remember the other. Chazz goes through having breakdowns and triggers for the first two weeks, and nearly committed suicide, but Zane Truesdale was able to stop him by coincidence. It turned out that he would've been saved already by Vivian, a former elementary classmate of Chazz's and survivor of the war. She was hired by Seto Kaiba to watch over him.

Onward, Zane helped Chazz regained his ability to feel genuinely happy through his selfless kindness. Chazz soon leaves to North Academy, and then come back, duels Jaden, and regained his ability to fee calm after receiving the support from both North and Duel Academy. Chazz then faced the challenge of accepting his bi-gendered identity in the same way as someone trying to accept their trans-identity or their non-straight sexuality. Bastion, Zane, Vivian and his family, minus Crimson and the Light all help him regain the confidence to accept it. During this, Chazz also meets a shadow who turned out to be the weak form of Judai who probably has no memories at all of who he is, but will come to Chazz's aid if he can sense her distress.

Everything was going smoothly until certain events led to Atticus accidentally setting off Chazz's trigger, which resulted in nearly exploding due to the memories of the war overwhelming his emotions. Judai stopped her and...slept with her, but only this once. She then fixed up the mess between her and Atticus and Zane who got mixed up in all of it.

Then the next school year came, and the whole white society event happened, which was more of a reveal that Aster's mother is the Light. In Chazz's case, after he was freed, he panicked when Atticus revealed that Zane told him about his suicide attempts. Chazz didn't want anyone outside of his trust circle to know, so he stripped Atticus' memories about that, and did the same to Zane and Bastion. Only Bastion was made aware of this because he didn't deserve that, but that led to their friendship being put on break. Zane and Chazz didn't stay friends at all, but Chazz made sure Zane didn't die due to his cards. Atticus and him still remained friends even though he only confessed to realizing he wasn't in love with Alexis the same way Atticus fell for him. It was all a case of misunderstanding since they were both traumatized victims.

After the world was saved thanks to Jaden, everyone was given a break from school for a few months since there were lawsuits to go through. Xiaoling who could regain her physical form through only taking away Chazz's sense of taste helped him regain his memories at home by making him find the small treasure chest that held his burnt original cards. This led him to remembering almost everything he had forgotten before, and made him rekindle his friendship with Levy, his past incarnations, and many others. He also trained himself by his past incarnations on how to use some of his abilities.

Finally, we reach the third and final year of Chazz's Academy life, and he intended to tell Jaden the truth by second semester or when the next bad guy is gone, but then Viper and Yubel came into the story, and Chazz cannot look for his family for help since Yubel was freed due to a meteorite connected to Jim's eye destroying the White Hole, and having its chaotic essence spread throughout the twelve dimensions. So Chazz has to find a way to rescue everyone with only the help of his past incarnations and his friends without killing Yubel since it would result in the death of Levy.

._._._.

Now gonna explain the characters!

 **Characters:**

 **Speck of Lights** : The speck of Lights have similar faces, grey mono-lidded eyes, and black hair. Each of them are female with Chazz being half, yet can only be impregnated. Their personality or nature is dual, yet one thing is for sure is that all four of them likes to take charge, be attractive and appealing, appreciate and protect free will, love to dance, and fall in love with the darkness. Also, the different incarnations of Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler have the tendency to become family with them.

 **Jun/Wadjet:**

Background: The former princess of the Light and Darkness Kingdom, and was one of the former legendary generals under Supreme King Judai and her own kingdom. She was known as the wings of the group. She was also the former Egyptian Goddess Wadjet who established the Kingdom of Egypt and created a majority of the powerful duel monsters such as Horakhty, the three Egyptian gods, Rainbow dragon, Exodia, and many more. She's also indirectly involved in the creation of the millennium items since the millennium tome was created by her accidentally. She's the mother of Crimson and Johan.

Appearance: Her face and raven hair is similar to Chazz's, but she goes through different color complexions and hair lengths. As the princess she had symmetrical black and white skin with golden eyes and wings like a humanoid Light and Darkness Dragon. Her hair was a mohawk. After her wings were ripped off, her eyes became silver, and her skin became dark brown and pale. The pale pigment of her skin can move across her body, and she settled with making it look like horizontal lightning strikes throughout her body. She grew her hair and braided it. Her appearance then changed again after Yubel attempted to kill her. She lost all of her pale pigment, and was left almost pitch black. She shaved her head so it could become a wig to protect people's heads from the sun.

Currently, her skin is still dark, but her hair grew long again. She mainly wears her Egyptian Goddess outfit without the golden snake mask. At other times, its her knight armor.

Personality: Jun is someone that no one is able to properly label nor hold down. She has been known to be called the Knight or General of Duality due to appearing to have two sides of her, but remain a genuine person. She can be a peaceful, proper lady or a rowdy, uncouth fighter depending on the situations. She's kind, generous, sensitive to discrimination, and has the talent and experience to rule kingdoms, but she also has the habit of being untidy and scheming crazy ideas. She has a darker side to her where she will kill without flinching, and create plans that could potentially harm people for the sake of a better outcome. She may also have more secrets than what was previously believed. Other than that, she acts as the leader of the speck of lights since she has the most experience in being a leader.

Dance style: Contemporary, Waltz (Fave)

Talent: Strongest and most Clever Speck of Light (and manliest ironically)

 **Jaswinder:**

Background: Doctor and adopted princess of Egypt.

Appearance: She has dark tan skin with golden undertones. Her hair is usually braided and she wears traditional Indian clothing with a bhindi and sometimes mehndi depending on the situation.

Personality: Unlike Jun, she is more reserved and mixing that with her dual nature, she can be very cryptic. It also doesn't help the fact that she adapts and responds to a person the best way to make them feel comfortable, and still come off as genuine, but she will snap at someone in a motherly way that makes people do what she tells them. She takes her profession as a doctor very seriously, so she will help a person recover if she is capable, and she is also very honest with her opinions, but only in front of the less sensitive people. She will also not keep her mouth close if she sees someone doing something she could not accept.

Dance style: Many Indian dance styles, but Odissi is her fave.

Talent: Fastest and have the most Self-Control/Strictest Speck of Light (and tidiest)

 **Xiaoling:**

Background: Cat.

Appearance: Physically look like a Dragon Li but with symmetrical black and white fur. In human form, she is symmetrically pale and black almost like how Jun used to be. The way her hair is formed depends on the situation, but it's mostly just free and straight and reaches midway her back. She wears anything, but it's mainly black leggings or jeggings with a long sleeved purple shirt.

Personality: She's usually very smooth and calm and even naturally sexy. She's also naturally motherly since she raised Crimson the longest. And though she may be a Dragon Li, Xiaoling isn't very active. Very little gets her fur up, and she'll only play unless its fast paced.

Dance Style: Anything that is fast paced, but her favorite is break dancing.

Talent: Calmest and most Flexible of the Specks of Light (she's not faster than Jaswinder since the doctor trained to be the quickest she can be.)

 **Chazz:**

Background: Duelist.

Appearance: What's obviously shown is that he's half a man and pale unlike his past incarnations, and he has the mohawk hairstyle that Jun used to have. He's also the skinniest and less muscular of the four of them due to his depression, but he's been getting healthier. And although they have the same faces, Chazz is the youngest, and the least experienced, so he gives out an air of innocence and delicacy when put in comparison, but alone, he's just a quirky, ungraceful teenager.

Personality: Like what's portrayed on the anime but leaning a bit more on exaggeration. He can be an arrogant, confident, clumsy, filthy, weird, talented teenager as portrayed in the anime dub, yet in my version, he's also an insecure, graceful, traumatized person filled with special powers and grief. The former description of his personality is what is only ever portrayed among strangers, or friends who are not in-the-know about his past. Though the latter description of his personality can slip, but as shown, it rarely happens. He is more similar to Jun than the other speck of lights.

Dance Style: Knows a variety due to being taught by his past incarnations and others; Ballet (fave)

Talent: Still learning and figuring out who he is.

 **Supporting:**

1\. The GX cast

2\. Almost all the DM cast

 **OCs:**

1\. Jona, Jolyon - Joey's past incarnations from Kiss the Crossdresser (KTCD)

2\. Noemi - Noe/Noah Kaiba's past incarnation from KTCD

3\. Sanchia - Seto's past incarnation from KTCD

4\. Anpu, Miklos - Mokuba's past incarnations frm KTCD

5\. Dark End Queen and Light End King - Jagger's and Slade's past incarnations.

6\. Viscaria - Daughter of Fubuki (Atticus' past incarnation) who was reincarnated into Vivian with psychic powers.

7\. Levy - Yubel's half reincarnation. She's the good half. Suffered from guilt and depression after the war, but Chazz and her worked over things and are back to being close friends. She has a crush on Bernie.

8\. Bernie - Jesse Anderson's younger brother who was about to commit suicide, but Chazz unknowingly stopped him. The two are friends, he's currently the leader of North Academy, and has a crush on Levy.

9\. Ati - Son of Jona and Atem, half brother of triplets, and adopted brother of Jaswinder.

10\. Olympia, Nubiti, and Azeneth - Triplets and daughters of Jona and Set, younger half sisters of Ati, and adopted sisters of Jaswinder.

11\. Yanara - Daughter of Kisara and Bakura.

._._._.

Here's a playlist of all the songs:

1\. Sally's song - Katethegreat19 cover from Nightmare Before Christmas

2\. Life is Beautiful - Sixx: A.M.

3\. The Climb - Miley Cyrus

4\. This is my idea - Swan Princess

5\. Win - Brian McKnight

6\. I hope you dance - Lee Ann Womack

7\. Shut up and dance with me - Walk the Moon

8\. Iris - goo goo dolls

9\. Beautiful Mess - Jason Mraz

10\. Finale - David Newman from Anastasia

11\. Hello - Lionel Richie covered by Glee

12\. I want Crazy - Hunter Hayes

13\. Don't go - Exo-K

14\. Keep Breathing - Ingrid Michaelson

15\. Fight song - Rachel Platten

16\. Stars - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

17\. Stand by you

18\. Sweet Escape - Alesso

19\. How can I not love you? - Joy Enriquez

20\. Soulmates - Natasha Bedingfield

21\. Purple Rain - Prince

22\. Ichinen Nikagetsu Hatsuka - Bright

23\. I'm not an angel - Halestorm

24\. If You're Not The One - Daniel Bedingfield

25\. Breakeven - Script

26\. Rise up - Andra Day

27\. Wings - Little Mix

28\. Talking to the moon - Bruno Mars

29\. Fabulous baby! - Sister Act

30\. I will always love you - Whitney Houston

31\. Can I love again? - 4men ft. Davichi

32\. Broken Pieces - Apocalyptica

33\. Everything's an illusion - Mayday Parade

34\. Always with Me - Joe Hisaishi from Spirited Away

35\. Like my mother does - Lauren Alaina

36\. Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder covered by Glee

37\. Promise - Raymond Lam and Eva Huang from The Sorcerer and the Whitesnake

38\. Sorrow - Flyleaf

39\. Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka - Devdas

40\. Main Shayar To Nahin

41\. This woman's work - Kate Bush covered by Maxwell or Siren Gene

42\. What is love - Veronika Bozeman

43\. Lie to me - Red

44\. How could this happen to me - Simple Plan

45\. Burn - Papa Roach

46\. Sadness and Sorrow - Naruto

47\. We were in love - T-ara ft. Davichi

48\. Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet

49\. Save the world/Don't you worry child - Swedish House Mafia covered by Petatonix

50\. Neverland - Zendaya

51\. What are Little Boys Made of?

52\. Control - Halsey

53\. Powerful - Jussie Smolett and Alicia Keys

54\. Kill them with Kindness - Selena Gomez

55\. Life is getting better - Javier Colon

56\. Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic

57\. Listen with your heart II - Alan Menken from Pocahontas

58\. Headstrong - Trapt

59\. Love Again - Sailor Moon Crystal

60\. Puppy Love - Perfume

61\. When You Were Mine - Lady Antebellum

62\. All about Us - He is We ft. Owl city

63\. Tiptoe through the tulips - Tiny Tim (Don't listen to this song unless you like Tiny Tim, or you're up for being terrified the fuck out.)

64\. Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? - Paolo Montalban and Brandy Norwood from the Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

65\. Emotional - Mikaila

66\. In the Dark of the Night - Anastasia

67\. Break me - Jewel

68\. Forbidden Friendship - John Powell from the How to Train Your Dragon

69\. That's love - Sweet Salt

70\. If I could fly - One Direction

71\. One - Metallica

72\. Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars

73\. Daughter - Youth cover by Daniela Andrade and Dabin

74\. This is Gospel - Panic! At the Disco (Piano Version)

75\. Mad Hatter - Melanie Martinez

76\. Carry on My Wayward Son - Kansas (Female Lullaby Version)

77\. Cry Little Sister - G Tom Mac

78\. Dancing through life - Wicked

79\. Fondu au Noir - Coeur de pirate

80\. Only for you - Tatsuya Kato

81\. Safe and Sound - Taylor swift ft. Civil Wars from the Hunger games covered by Me vs Gravity

82\. Gone Gone Gone - Phillip Phillips

84\. Monster - Eminem ft. Rihanna

85\. Tower of Babel - Yoko Kanno

86\. Breathe In, Breath Out - Set it Off

87\. Roots Before Branches - Room for Two

88\. Calls me Home - Shannon LaBrie

89\. Don't Let Me Get Me - Pink

90\. Beautiful - Bethany Dillon

91\. Dancing With Tears In my Eyes - Kesha covered by Stephanie Marie

92\. I'd love to change your world (Matstubs Remix) - Jetta

93\. Don't Let Me Down - The Chainsmokers (Illenium Remix)

94\. It's Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill (Acoustic version)

95\. Unsteady - X Ambassadors

96\. Shine - Cassidy Ladden and Kelly Sheridan from Barbie in the 12 dancing princesses

97\. Over the Rainbow - Todrick Hall

98\. Man! I feel like a Woman! - Shania Twain

99\. Feather Theme - Alan Silvestri from Forrest Gump

100\. Looking Through Your Eyes - LeAnn Rimes/Andrea Corr & Bryan White from Quest for Camelot

101\. This One's For The Girls - Martina McBride

102\. Tiny Dancer - Elton John

103\. Kisses Down Low - Kelly Rowland

104\. First - SoMo

105\. Cry - Mandy Moore

106\. Sad Machine - Porter Robinson covered by Didrick & Ember Island

107\. I need a lover - John Cougar Mellencamp

108\. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry covered by Glee (Acoustic Version)

109\. Broken Inside - Broken Iris

110\. Lullaby for a Stormy Night - Vienna Teng

111\. I Don't Mind - Usher ft Juicy J

112\. One Dance - Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla covered by SarahClose1

113\. You're So Creepy - Ghost Town (Acoustic version)

114\. Your body is a wonderland - John Mayer

115\. Forgive me - Evanescence

116\. She's so mean - Matchbox 20

117\. Come Back Home - 2NE1 covered by Mikutan

118\. In My Arms - Plumb

119\. Plead the Fifth (Dean's Lullaby) - Fansong parody of Hallelujah by SunnySniper

120\. Not about Angels - Birdy from The Fault In Our Stars

121\. I Love You - Kill Paris

122\. Sinners - DD Luxz

123\. Just The Girl - The Click Five

124\. Take Me Slow - Carly Rose

125\. Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

126\. It will Rain - Bruno Mars covered by Amy Whitcomb ft. Jake Justice

127\. The Love I Meant To Say - Jeremy Jordan from Smash

128\. Perfect Illusion - Lady Gaga

129\. Plead the Fifth (Dean's Lullaby) - Fansong parody of Hallelujah by SunnySniper

130\. Sucker For Pain - Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons ft. Logic, Ty Dolla $ign & X Ambassadors from Suicide Squad

131\. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye ft. Kimbra

132\. Fire Under My Feet - Leona Lewis

133\. Fatal Lullaby - Adrian von Ziegler

134\. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

135\. CRZY - Kehlani

136\. Possible World Theory - Gumi covered by Anna, Beck, Hotaru, and Lucy

137\. The More Precious The Burden, heavier and more difficult - Kamagata Eiichi from Gintama

138\. Hope in Front Of Me - Danny Gokey

139\. Cold Water - Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MO

140\. Believe - All American Rejects

141\. Glassy Sky - Donna Burke covered by Amalee from Tokyo Ghoul

142\. Battle Against A True Hero - Toby Fox covered by Bani-Chan from Undertale

143\. New World - Charice from Final Fantasy 13 part 2

144\. Longing - Inuyasha OST

145\. Palette - Hatsune Miku covered by Miku-tan

146\. Hello - Adelle covered by Tanner Patrick.

147\. Shit Luck - Modest Mouse

148\. Uncover - Zara Larsson

149\. Phoenix - Molly Sanden

150\. Who Am I To Say - Hope

151\. Rip her to Shreds - Blondie

152\. Sally's Song and Corpse Bride Medley by Trickywi from Nightmare before Christmas and Corpse Bride

153\. Wait for it - Leslie Odom Jr. and Hamilton cast

154\. I hate everything about you - Three Days Grace

155\. The Great Divide - Rebecca Black


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Two weeks before finals, so next late December may be when I update a more serious chapter. This is more of a start up to see the "Supreme King's" side to everything, but in a very short version.

I still have no idea of how to handle the romance. I thought I'd be hear by chapter 8, but here we are...three times those chapters...With more full fledged out-of-character and original characters than I was previously planning...

I honestly wondered if I should go for the whole so-called realistic love, strange love, Disney love, shoujo love, etc. Definitely not yaoi love. *Pours holy water on a majority of it, burns and contains the smoke pouring from those that are nothing but true sin, while keeping the few sweet, pure ones on the tiny shelf* I always planned on turning this story into a shoujo love story, but I haven't read one in so long, and don't know which one to read.

So be warned that there may be shoujo moments that can either make you feel fluffy or cringe at its sweet OOCness.

._._._.

 _Eight to Nine years ago_

A nine year old Jaden sat down at his desk at school, and everyone who was once his friend looked away, and those who sat closest to him scooted their seats farther from him. Their neighbors didn't mind losing aisle space since they sympathized with their classmates' actions, but not Jaden's feelings.

Jaden knew that this was because of Yubel, and what she did to his friends who still hadn't woken up from their comas. His loneliness was her fault, but he believed that he shouldn't get mad at her no matter how much a part of him was. He kept telling himself that she didn't understand what she was doing. He was her only friend, but that other part of him in his dreams kept yelling that he had to get rid of her. He needed to destroy her.

That other person was always in his dreams, and he was filled with so much hatred and rage that Jaden felt suffocated under his anger. He subconsciously created a wall between them just so he could stop hearing his yells that made him feel hurt, disgusted, and guilty by them.

Yubel was his friend. She needed him to be set on the right path. That was what Jaden honestly believed. It was something for him to do while the two other females in his life seemed to have disappeared. Levy moved away and she barely called. Renee hadn't contacted him at all, which left him thinking if this was how she felt when he hadn't contacted her before. He wanted to apologize, but contacting her was impossible since he didn't know the truth of who Renee actually was beyond the bossy, charismatic, yet shy beautiful girl he fell in love with. He felt stupid for not knowing her real name.

Her mom did drop by to tell him that Renee was sent to a strict boarding school, and when he wasn't satisfied with that answer, she included that Renee also got herself a new boyfriend. Unknown to him, Crimson realized she shouldn't have said that, but her hidden daddy issues made her trained tongue slip those words out. Thus, Jaden didn't believe her, and pleaded for the truth of who Renee was and what was really happening, but she didn't tell him. Instead, she had Renee call him only once to tell him that it was all true, but Jaden still refused to believe that. He needed to see it with his own eyes to fully believe it. Even if it was true, he refused to believe that Renee did it on purpose. She would never do that.

He wanted to go find her, but that was impossible, and Yubel needed him first. He tried to teach Yubel about what was good and bad, what should be punished and not, and what was friendship and love, or at least what a ten-year-old thought it was. When it came to love, Jaden would gloat about Renee innocently, but then Yubel would make a snide remark, and a brutally honest opinion, too. Jaden would always defend Renee, but after months passed, he began to stop, and felt the Renee in his memories disappear. The passionate feeling that he once felt burn brightly in his chest lowered to nothing more than an ember.

His love for Renee, and many of his other emotions began to feel bitter and stale. He didn't like that so in his imaginary wall, he poured his negative feelings into its only opening, and then sealed it back up. Unknown to him that his Renee was locked in there, too.

 _Song: Lost Boy - Ruth B_

The Renee of Judai's memories wasn't alone in that dark world. Though she was just a memory, she had her own body, and an idea of who she was.

The darkness seemed to be a fog as its airy form swirled around her to have her wear a black lyrical dress. She wanted to say thank you, but she didn't know how to use her mouth. She didn't know how to let her voice come out in this body that's only a figment of someone's subconscious imagination. So instead, she naturally expressed it through movement since this trait of the real Renee defined a part of her.

The darkness seemed to be pleased as part of it took form into a silhouette of a man. He reached out his hand, and she took it without hesitation. The man led her through the darkness until they reached a boy who looked very much like the boy the real Renee once played with, but this child had golden eyes. He said nothing. Only glared at her with those fierce glowing orbs, that seemed to only acknowledge her presence for a second before becoming numbed.

The next thing she knew, a gust of dark wind became a whip that lashed at the child, but he didn't flinch. The brightness of his eyes flickered by each whipping, yet his facial features nor his body made a single twitch. It was as if his soul was stuck within a statue.

Renee let go of the man's hand to approach the child. The man tried to prevent her, but since she was merely an imagination of the body's pilot's mind, she was able to slip away with ease through becoming intangible to his touches. Apparently, she could not be held unless she wanted to be touched.

However, she could feel the intense pressure of the gusts. They made her feel something similar to suffocation as she tried to take her steps toward the boy. However, she wasn't sure if her legs were working. She could see them, yet they did not move despite mustering the will that she believed that she possessed.

The man came to her side, looking unaffected, and reached out his hand so he could save her, but she denied him. She stayed within the numbing pressure until she could feel her imaginary body burn. She was in what felt like acute pain, but that torturous, lung-clenching feeling helped her regain feeling in her legs, and she used that to her advantage. She at first staggered onto her feet. She felt like she should've taken a gasp of air, but she didn't need to breathe. That made the already stressful experience feel unbearably uncomfortable, but she was still determined to move on her feet to get to the boy.

The man watched her walk on and on and on while the gust of wind made her restart her steps again and again and again. At some point, he thought she noticed, but she still continued on. It looked like the works of a folklore tragedy happening, but eventually the girl became stronger against the gust. The man couldn't understand how. This girl was not real but at the same time she was real to the touch. She could be taken down, yet still stand and move against a force more powerful than reality as if she hadn't been harmed.

Who was she?

Renee eventually reached the boy, and she saw the one she loved. The boy made no reaction to her closer presence, but neither did he reject her arms that slipped under his arms and wrapped around his body.

She still didn't know how to speak, but for every single caress of her fingers across the corner of his nape that she gave, for the way her eyes were closed and her face winced in pain in this hectic hurricane, for the way her other hand clenched onto his simple black attire, seemed to grasp his attention even more. Yet, he didn't speak a word.

The man from before just watched the girl hold the numbed boy who continued to look out into the distance with the whipping pressure lashed against him. However, the longer the man looked, he began noticing that the boy wasn't glaring anymore.

The whipping gusts suddenly spread out throughout the dark realm, which simply made everything far more uneasy and suffocating all time round, yet that didn't bother the children.

Renee withdrew back from her embrace, and gave the boy a curtsy. The boy finally gave his response in the form of a formal bow, and in a second their outfits changed.

The airy darkness around the girl shifted her black lyrical dress into a ballerina's attire that consisted with the color of purple, black and white. The tutu appeared to be crafted by birds' and bats' wings. Her purple ballet pointe shoes left a trail of twinkling sparkles if she was to move her feet, and her black tights were made of lace. Half of her skin was pale as snow while the other was as dark as onyx. Her lips, nails and upper eyelids were a lovely shade of violet.

The boy was simply dressed in a medieval, velvet black and gold, royal tunic with ivory white tights and pointe shoes.

 _Song: Aligning Hearts - Ivan Torrent_

No music had ever played in this dark realm, yet suddenly now, the fog made a trembling noise like thunder. The wind seem to sing in a wondrous yet terrifying manner. The two children appeared to be at the heart of this horrific change. The girl expressed herself through meticulous precision, however still appeared to flow fluidly as if genuinely telling a story through gestures.

The wind swept her off her balance, but to the man's surprise, the boy caught her, and gracefully helped her up. Renee smiled at him appreciatively as she continued to dance with his support.

The boy remained emotionless as ever with his movements being stiff and heartless, but it fit well to the performance played before the adult. It was like watching a free-spirited, loving girl describing the adventurous world to an empty shell of a man who knew nothing. The more and more they danced, the man felt his passion rise higher and higher with each and every step the girl took. He couldn't entirely tell what she was saying, but the energy and excitement beautifully and gracefully exposed affected him unlike the gusts of agony that tried to break the two little dancers.

At some point, he realized that the first dance was simply a test run for how well they could communicate through movement, and it appeared that they communicated well without words.

Now, he spent time with the children, and learned their language that bizarrely existed in a imaginative world in the subconscious.

The unreal children had their own identities unlike him who could barely remember anything. All he could remember was being a king who lost the most precious thing to him in a location filled with books. Yet, he eventually learned to come to accept this lack of knowledge as he gained new ones through the children.

Everything had been peaceful and even fun as this mute girl found ways to amusingly use the empty dark places around them and play with the limits of their body such as doing games that could be called 'hide n' boo!' and 'repeatedly touch hands in rhythm'.

However...she began to fade away.

 _Song: Sunder - Really Slow Motion_

None of them understood why, and they tried to keep her 'alive'. They tried to make her remain with them, but no matter what they did, no matter how hard Renee wished she could remain, the best she could do was at least tell them her name.

"My name is Renee."

She spoke clearly, yet her bottom lip trembled as tears poured from her eyes.

The man wanted to say something to ease her, but then for the first time, the boy spoke, "I know." He approached her, and gave her a kiss to stop her trembling.

Renee was surprised that her lips did stop trembling, yet her tears still poured when she saw that the boy she loved still had more to say, but he knew that it was best not to speak them, so she opted to say her last promising words with a smile, "When you meet the real me, I know she will love you! I love you."

And thus, she faded away.

The man looked at the boy who had his head nodded down, yet his golden eyes gleamed harshly in anger at having lost the one he loved, but he supposed it was to be expected in such a cruel world of darkness within a body who refused to acknowledge it.

The airy darkness took back its original form as a hurricane, but the boy refused to remain still like before. He walked across the darkness even when the blasts of wind knocked him down. The man didn't see a point for him to do this at all, but he didn't stop him. Instead, he decided to give a hand by turning his form into an armor to protect the child as he continued to walk on in the darkness.

It didn't look like he had a destination, but then soon the man began to feel a warm heat that made him shiver by the dark world's contrasting chilliness that he never noticed before.

"You're wrong!"

That was the voice of their pilot.

His yells could not be understood but the passion vibrated across even this hidden world, and with each word, a small crack appeared before them. A light shone through, where they both took a peek. For the first time, they saw different types of colors, but what absolutely caught their attention was a person with clear, pale skin, a black mohawk hair, and grey mono-lidded eyes.

Just like Renee.

However, this one was an older boy, and he appeared conflicted, but then the whole world erupted in cheers. Apparently, his name was Chazz, but to the boy, he was Renee.

For a while the two males in the dark world saw glimpses of the pilot's life, but the only person they were truly interested in seeing was the older male Renee. The man could see and feel the boy's excitement when his Renee would come into view. He was more excited to see him than when a duel came on.

Soon by some form of miracle, the boy with the man in tow was able to take a step through the wall when they felt a disturbing emotion from the outside. It was bizarre that they could feel anything from the outside, but they did, and it attracted them. Now they stood on the outside world for the first time.

They took a moment to check if they needed to 'breathe' or anything humans would do, they were at the infirmary, and Chazz was performing a dancing in order to do something for the other man who was asleep. The dance was graceful and noteworthy, yet it came to a sad stop as it appeared that the male couldn't do what he was tasked to do.

That disturbing emotion that they had felt increased. It was clear of where that emotion was coming from, so the best way they thought that they could help was to take Chazz's mind away from the world, so they filled it will darkness, and then agreed that the next best step was for them to become the dancer's armor, but when they touched his skin, they felt a small electric shock that would've tightened the muscles of a human, but to them, it gave a simple pleasure like a sweet candy melting in their mouth. However, it came with a bitter atmosphere at the sight of their beloved. They saw the way he danced earlier, and as two people who found movement to be better than words, they helped the dancer on his feet.

The former King arranged them to do a waltz; a dance style that seemed to be hardwired into him. It was a lackluster, difficult start when they began, but they continued on until Chazz was able to regain the confidence to dance. From the look of his face, it looked like the shadow males weren't the only ones affected by their physical intimacy.

When it looked like the raven haired duelist regained himself, they silent asked for permission to become even closer. Chazz nodded his consent, and the two of them slid their shadowy form across the clear, smooth pale skin, dispersing the particles of the male's current clothes to take on a new form made by the desires passed through the electricity. Through this, Chazz appeared as the prima ballerina assoluta that he was.

Chazz was able to accomplish doing what he sought out to do with an emotion of love that made the shadowy males desire to remain with this beauty who was not only a male, but also half a woman. However, they felt themselves pulled back to the pilot's body without a choice, and were made to live in that dark world again. The crack still remained, so they were still able to take a peak of the outside world once their pilot woke up again.

The boy and the man looked at each other, and smiled. They felt a love almost similar to Renee's and that was good enough for them. They optimistically believed that they would feel it again.

._._._.

The two of them were able to watch Chazz whenever the pilot looked at him, and watched him duel. The man watched more out of both fun and concern, while the boy watched with an intense gaze as if he was trying to burn every single second of every moment when the beautiful interboy came into view. His facial reactions changed ever so slightly from bored when Chazz was nowhere to be seen to a very subtle delight when he appeared, and then there was a mix of concern, but the man was only guessing.

When the boy witness Chazz declare his love for some other woman, he didn't appear mad. It seemed to be because they somehow could feel Chazz's emotions from this distance, and this so-called love didn't feel similar to the love they felt from him. The emotion felt for this woman was far too fast and insecure unlike the real love that moved with smooth and steady ease. There was a sense of insecurity, but those softened by their touch, and despite having flaws, they helped Chazz remember his merits, which made him realize that he made up some of his flaws, so its not perfect, but not as bad as he made it out to be.

They weren't entirely responsible for such a reaction since it was accidentally done, but it couldn't have just been coincidence that it happened between the three of them specifically.

More days went by and the boy was frustrated at not seeing Chazz more. The dancer seemed to slip away more often to spend time somewhere else. When he saw the teenager who he believed was the real Renee hold hands with some chump, he felt Chazz's happiness. It wasn't love, but the way the chump looked at her didn't sit well with him. Unable to stay still anymore, he recklessly rammed himself through the wall. The man followed without thinking, and the two were set free from their pilot's feet by taking his shadow away.

The two rushed through the forest to test the limits of their form, and they discovered that with a bit of will, they could collect the shadows or the darkness around them to enlarge themselves. As they experimented this new ability, they weren't aware that a few hours went by before they detected Chazz's emotions elevating higher and higher into a dangerous zone. They rushed toward her. When they heard her scream rippled the sky, they maxed their velocity, that they turned into the airy darkness that tortured the boy, so they could reach her.

They did make it without a care of who else was there, and saw that their beloved was becoming an explosive ball of light. They seeped through the shield that contained her, but the pleasurable light they expected burned them. They didn't give in as the former King instinctively called upon the shadows around him at full force to completely override this rise off destructive power.

The overwhelming darkness wasn't enough to stop the ever growing light, but they understood that the source came from his emotions, so with the little bit of darkness that Chazz possessed inside her, they used it to find him to get in touch with her body. From there, they reached into his mind, and flooded it with darkness, so whatever horrid thoughts were poisoning her mind would be blocked away. He couldn't see them, but the heat of the light softened into that pleasurable glow, but then it didn't stop fading a little more.

Worried, the two did test out their abilities a bit with the teenager's mind. The brain was a complex organ, so the best they could do was simply reach the surface of her memories, and at least drag out the pleasant ones that showed her rude yet also loving ways when he could hear her question her ability to love. Chazz's body took on a bizarre form, but it was still Chazz. It could be the real Renee.

 _Song: Starlight Waltz - Ponyphonic_

When she opened her multiple eyes, he reached his hand out to her in their temporary starry world. Chazz hesitated because he didn't like his new appearance. The boy took his hand and nuzzled his cheek against it to show that his body was still something to be adored. All that mattered was that he could be Renee.

He let her hand go, and asked for her hand to dance for a proper conversation between the two of them. Chazz was still hesitant, but took his hand out of politeness sake. Their dance wasn't like the night before. That night many nights ago, Chazz was just feeling a general feeling of love that freely did what it wished with his body like a drug. Now, it was a medicine that was exhausting to take, but came with its benefits in the end. The darkness around them turned into a world of colorful paint where some of it colored his beloved into the body she loved.

Mirrors next appeared, and revealed a memory from her unconscious. The males saw a little girl that took on the form that Chazz recently had, and she spoke to someone who dared to speak such hateful lies to her. However, the little girl did not break under this monster's manipulation nor intimidation.

Chazz looked to them, expressing a sense of awe and pride. She thanked them, yet still appeared troubled.

The two of them could take a guess of where the troubles lied since they witnessed the fresh memory of the chump they saw early this morning. Angered at this other lie, they pointed this and argued against her defense for this man who didn't deserve her love. It was mostly the boy speaking while the man within was staring at Chazz whose eyes was glowing like the other night, but this time, he stared long enough for something in his mind to tick a bit. This was Chazz, but before the man's eyes, he saw a beautiful woman with the same facial structure, and raven mohawk, but with symmetrical black and white skin.

The boy next to him then approached Chazz to lie him down on the ground. Though the man often referred to this male as a boy as if he never aged, he did in fact age along with Jaden, and was more of a teenager like any other, but with a more "caged" lifestyle. The boy wasn't particularly interested in copulating, but this was more driven by a need to show that this sort of thing didn't dirty anyone. It was a form of love and sometimes even just something to do for fun, and there was nothing wrong with that as long as their was consent.

After the two were done, the males could feel their time run out, so they clothed the calmed down Chazz before leaving back to their caged lifestyle. The two remained quiet as they adjusted themselves back to the harsh conditions of their "home". Outside, the world felt like they were on the moon. The gravity was lighter, and their was a sense of tranquility. Back in this world, they felt their feet firmly planted to the ground, and they were left only to see through their pilot's pair of eyes once again.

Yet, this time, the man spoke to the boy who was now seen as the teenager he grew up to be through nontraditional ways. "You spoke again." He pointed out casually. "And made love with our shared form. I didn't know you knew how."

The teenage boy looked at him with those glowing eyes. "I don't. I only recently learned of it through Chazz's simple memories."

"I see...Wasn't it...weird to see such things."

"I don't know what should be weird for me. I am nothing more but an unconscious idea. A split personality perhaps. All I know is that when I saw through some of Chazz's earliest memories, the ones after he came back to North academy, I felt...alive. I felt his pain from not being able to identify who he was. The pain of not being able to come to terms with the ones he tried to choose, and how he kept fighting these...dark emotions. I felt Renee."

"...Are you sure you're not grasping at straws? How was the feeling he gave you similar to Renee's?"

"There was an anger. You didn't notice it because you couldn't understand, but Renee was angry a lot, and her anger...was because she loved."

"That's a little twisted, don't you think."

"Perhaps. But like a psychology teacher once said while our pilot was half-asleep, the unconscious is where all the unwanted memories go to because we're too twisted for the surface." Despite saying such a lonely sentence, he smiled because of Renee.

When Chazz reappeared in their sights, the two males could see that his spirits were high again, and though he spoke with that chump, the way they looked at each other wasn't to be hated.

The teenage boy just couldn't stop smiling every time Chazz appeared.

The man was simply observant to all this. Every now and then, imagining Chazz with symmetrical black and white skin.

._._._.

After losing a duel against Aster Phoenix, the males were greeted by a toxic white light flooding their world. They kept their distance from it, and it seemed as though the light was carefully not touching them. It soon took on two human forms. One was a pale woman with grey eyes and blond hair. The other was a dark brown man with green eyes and flaxen hair. They spoke in unison as if they were Siamese cat about a speck of light, and both males were confused, but the one thing that was clear was that the man was in fact once a king who suffered the loss of love, yet he had amnesia.

The former king pressed for more answers, and the light refused to tell him anything, but he will tell the teenage boy what the man wanted to know. However, a seal would be placed on his tongue to keep him from speaking nor making a gesture to answer any questions that the man may make. She just found it more amusing that way.

After playing with them, she felt herself being sucked away. "Oh my, it looks like our darling Chazz is trying to cure dear Jaden by sucking out the poison." She giggle like an innocent, blushing bride. "That's no good. She can't properly dispose of me, and she'll be killed if she keeps me inside her. The light inside her will become toxic, and it might even snuff out her life."

Hearing that, the boy took control of Jaden's body to stop Chazz.

"Ooooooh! You can do that?! Then why oh why are you letting this pathetic boy be the driver!"

"That's only because our pilot is weakened because of you for now." The man answered while the boy spoke harshly towards Chazz, but only out of the concern that he had. She turned his faceless head towards her with the obvious question of why he truly couldn't know what he wanted, and what she could thinking.

The woman answered with a sly smirk, "It's bad to tell dangerous men the truth." Those words alarmed the man, but then the women followed with, "But don't worry!" She patted his back. "The truth is always revealed because this world is stirred by chaos whether I'm here or not! So just wait! For now, let's enjoy the show!"

And the four of them did. They watched as Jaden went on his journey, met his new duel monsters, and then beat Aster in a duel. The Light within Jaden was weakened, but the two women still remained.

The next thing they saw with interest was when Chazz was revealed to be under the light's control. The males were about to snuff them out, but the Light explained that the amount of light controlling Chazz was very little so it was harmless. Also, it was all just for the sake of a bigger plan at play. The king was suspicious, but the teenage boy believed her. He wanted to question him, but the seal was effective to the point that trick questions couldn't even make a pass. He reluctantly let it go, and watched as the events passed by until Chazz freed himself from his control. The males were relieved for him.

After Sartorius was defeated, the Light took her leave.

._._._.

Months passed without being able to see Chazz, but when they finally could, they saw, unlike Jaden, that something changed inside her. The teenage boy had an idea of what it was and he was joyous for her. The former king truly wanted to know why, but no matter how he pushed for answers, the teenage boy turned into a paralyzed, mute being. It left him feeling frustrated, but those feelings of frustration was turned into concern when a voice sounded within their pilot's dream.

The teenage boy was on edge, and the king felt something stir inside him as well. They wondered what they could do about this new threat. They wanted to take action, but they knew better that the best plan was to let their pilot save the day like he always did since the trouble always came his way.

They watched as new duelists and new friendships were forged while strange occurrences were taking place.

They nearly took over Jaden's body by force when Chazz nearly drowned, but he turned out fine.

But he wasn't fine for long...

They didn't know what to do when Chazz turned into nothing but stars, and his energy was taken for the sake of one single card. All they could do was feel, and the teenage boy felt a rage that took acted like a magnet for the fog around them. It drew the man farther into the unconscious, so he wouldn't be crushed by the new immense pressure that should've killed the other. This left the boy being the only one who took over Jaden right after the duel once the happy-go-lucky duelist let go of control.

He came forward with malicious motives that would leave no living soul able to suck in a single amount of air or ever see the light as an omen of goodness.

 _Song: Empty - Ray Lamontagne_

However, when he fully seized the body, he felt all of his rage snuffed out, and he was left feeling...

Nothing.

He just...

Didn't care.

He finally made the full switch with his pilot, and he had been dreaming of this happening in front of his Renee/Chazz, and there is no trouble at all. He dreamed that he just had to make the switch, even if it was only for a moment, he had to tell her again that he loved her. He still loved her and the real her so much.

So So So Much.

Hold her in a strong yet optional embrace; take in her common scent, which was of raw fish and spicy cologne; kiss her lips to express the uniqueness of their relationship, and then stare into her starry eyes that would glow out of love for him.

After killing a few more people and a friend of Jaden's _just_ because a bunch of guys told him to, his lack of emotions soon affected the dimensions and slowed all of time down.

She appeared before him again, appearing unaffected by the slowed movement of time, and...

He couldn't care less.

._._._.

A/N: Yeah, so it was kind of Judai's doing, but also the other split personality of Jaden. And this Supreme king is actually the split personality. Not Judai.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Thank you Guest for your review and your patience! I'm sorry that you have to wait longer because I set myself on the path of vengeance. As for your question on the merging souls...*sweats excessively* Let's just say, there will be a happy ending.

RE-EDIT: I merged chapter 25 and 26 together, added another piece to it since I felt that it should all be together and got rid of the whole vengeance thing. I deeply apologize for that.

And I'm just complaining: I don't know how to feel about this fic. I feel like a cheater because everything went smooth since I had a plot to follow, but now that I'm going off course, I'm completely unsure of what to do, so I keep making re-edits until I can actually feel good about writing this fic. But I feel like this whole fic is an insult to someone with mental illness. I know that mental illnesses don't affect people the same way and they aren't effectively treated the same way, and my fic has magic in it, so it doesn't have to be entirely realistic, and it's common sense to know that fictions don't always properly express mental illness correctly. I still did some research, and I have actually gone through depression and days of apathy, but I always felt like I was walking on a mine field after the whole war chapter and some asshole reviewer who took my fanfiction way too seriously.

I just wanted to have fun writing this fic, but it just makes me feel insecure.

I still want there to be at least one rageshipping fic where the king isn't always some sadistic dick though.

._._._.

 _Song: Wicked Side of Me - Cold Driven_

Chazz headed towards the Supreme King. The duelist had to admit that a part of him was horrified yet impressed by how efficient this new aspiring dictator worked at getting the super polymerization card to awaken. Chazz had prepared the best plan that he could come up with, with his past incarnations after taking into consideration of everything that happened. He tried to hurry as fast as he could to stop any more duels, but when he finally found him, Jim's and Shirley's souls were taken into the eye of Orichalcum. Axel was challenged, but he ran off like a coward.

The ravenet couldn't blame him since he just witnessed the true power of the darkness. Many have called themselves a creature of darkness, but this man who was no longer Jaden was the very existence itself. It was confusing since the past incarnation Judai was still a good person even after the darkness was unlocked inside him. Jun guessed that this person wasn't Judai at all. Instead it was the gentle darkness that took on a personality of its own. Jaden must've fallen into depression because of his guilt, so he let loose of his control, and this new personality took charge.

Chazz set out to take this man out without killing Jaden in the process, but it was such a delicate plan that Chazz wanted either Jun or Jaswinder to take over. Yet, both of them denied since they both believed that he was far more suited for this role. Chazz couldn't see how he could be, and they both wouldn't explain since he would become self-conscious of it, and come off ungenuine. He wanted to argue, but he knew better than to be childish. He had to grow up and take on the mission like how they both did. Jun suffered the destruction of her kingdom before discovering that it still survived. Despite being in a state of peril at the young age of 14, she took on the goal to change the world for the sake of her kingdom, and so much more as the years passed on. Jaswinder was of a smaller scale, but when she was told when she would die, she lived her life, and chose to take on the responsibility of a doctor; A profession that would've hailed her as an angel, as a witch because of her gender, or as a fake throughout the world. Despite this, she continued to do her best to change the world of medicine, so many could survive longer and be freed of pain.

Right now, it was Chazz's turn to face his next greatest challenge since facing the Harsh Darkness. He had to save his childhood friend from this darkness that showed no mercy.

The dancer approached the Supreme King bravely, but as she did, the world began to slow down to the point that time stopped functioning.

 _"This power...!"_

Jun explained in her spirit form, "It's the same as Judai's, Us and those with extraordinary power are not effected by this. Crimson and the others may have noticed this. It will definitely make it easier for them to do their job, but one of them may try to find the source. That may disrupt our plans, so it's best to act quickly, and duel him."

"Right." Chazz approached the man quickly with a brave face.

He just needed to bring back Jaden to replace this man who didn't belong here. This stranger was a virus to this world. He was built by a power that lusted for control after taking advantage of Jaden's guilt. Chazz had to defeat this man, so Jaden could return, take down Yubel, and they could all go back home, and Levy would still be at the other side, waiting for her.

She finally reached enough distance to make this man face her, and Chazz was prepared to face a demonic god, but when he looked her way...

Chazz dropped his deck and his duel disk.

His eyes stared deeply into the golden orbs that reflected nothing.

 _"Those eyes...Those eyes..."_

 _Song: Feral Hearts - Kerli_

The two of them stared at each other. Chazz felt his heart squeeze, and then leap out to him.

Jun grabbed his wrist in her physical form, and yelled, "No, Chazz! You don't understand what you are about to do! We have a plan!"

Chazz now noticed that his foot had been raised as if he was about to run to the king.

Jaswinder warned him in her spirit form, "Listen to Jun. What you are about to do will have consequences."

The duelist knew, but...

"So you're Jun." The supreme king spoke with an apathetic voice. The speck of lights inwardly gasped at this. The man explained, "After the Light infected the pilot of this body after his first duel with Aster, I met her. She told me nearly everything about you. My pilot knows none of this."

Chazz figured that the pilot was Jaden, but the dancer couldn't concentrate on him at the moment. "So you know who I am?"

The supreme king placed his focus on him, and answered, "I always knew before the Light confirmed it, and I know I should give a proper reaction, but I can't." He approached Chazz, took his hand, and spoke with a bored tone, "You are my Renee."

Chazz's eyes widened, and he grasped that hand, which made Jun grip his wrist painfully. "Chazz. I plead with you as someone with experience, this will not end well." Her newest reincarnation looked at her, and she could see the wheels turns behind those glowing eyes. Jun was a woman with a tongue that could persuade even the most stubborn, conservative individuals. However, at this moment, she knew that there were no words that could stop Chazz from what he was about to do. She still stared at him hard. Her eyes revealing the consequences for his choices.

The younger half woman saw them, and he was already aware of what may come his way for what he had come to decide. He stared back at her with a calm expression that refused to falter.

Seeing his resolution, Jun's stare dropped, and she let Chazz's wrist go.

Chazz silently gave a nod of appreciation, and faced the supreme king. "Alright, listen here supreme king! So you're telling me that you can't give me a reaction, but I'm going to make you give me one."

"Make me?"

"That's right. But it's not going to be through a duel!" Not after what he witnessed happened to Jim.

Chazz still gripped onto the king's hand, and used his other hand to point at him. "The Chazz is going to snap you out of your apathy!"

The Supreme King stared at her fiercely, passionate silver eyes that showed no betrayal to her words. Still he questioned, "What about your friend, Jaden?"

Chazz hesitated to answer as her resolve seem to falter a bit with her eyes cast down, but they were quickly picked up to look the man in the eye, "He had the chance to come back when that crocodile guy called out to him, and instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he chose to run away into himself. We don't need that type of guying wielding your power."

Chazz let go of the king's hand, and changed his outfit into one of royalty that matched with what she drew years ago*. She wore a symmetrical black and white armor that had the carved symbols of his former partner. Her head was covered by a purple dupatta and her forehead was adorned by a silver maang tikka. She did not have cat-like features, but half of his skin became a dark brown just like Xiaoling's.

He spoke like the queen the reaper had called him*, "I am the speck of light. Co-creator of this world, and queen of the spirits. I bestow myself the duty to do what is best for our universe, so it will thrive for the better days that will always come and go. From this day forward, I place my faith in you to control this power, and I shall help you regain your true self."

After that dramatic speech, he changed his and the supreme king's outfits, with no resistance at all from the other party, into something more casual. Chazz opted for a plaid shirt under a sweater, and also a pair of light brown trousers, and loafers. The supreme king was dressed in a simple hooded shirt, trousers and sneakers.

Chazz grabbed his hand, and told him, "We're going somewhere where others won't interrupt us." They didn't know if Yubel was effected, so it was best to leave.

The man simply replied, "Sure."

The dancer waved her hand with her feet positioned as if she was about to initiate a dance, but instead a circular glyph appeared and expanded before taking shape of a door. It opened itself, and the two of them with the past incarnations entered.

The door closed behind them and disappeared. Yubel appeared at the spot where they had just been, unaffected by the slowness of time. She was confused when she could no longer feel her king's duel energy.

The same thing happened for Kaiba, Joey, and the others who were helping Crimson out with collecting the light's scattered essence.

"They're gone?" Joey looked around as if they had just been with him.

Crimson explained, "It's without a doubt that this is the work of my dad. Only he is capable of slowing time."

"Wait, can't you do that?" Noe questioned.

"I can travel through time, but I can't control whether it speeds up or slows down. If I did have that sort of power, then I would have used it by now." Crimson spoke with a serious tone. "Even if my father is gone, this world will remain in slow motion until he changes it himself."

Kaiba understood the situation, so ordered his spy, "Vivian, you will follow them. Report back of what must've happened while we were gone."

"Right-o." she sarcastically said, and got Crimson to open a door for her to wherever the couple went to. She had a few tools with her to help her teleport from place to place so it wasn't a one-way trip.

"Maybe I should follow her." Joey suggested.

But Kaiba rejected, "No. You're needed here. Chazz already has Jun and the others watching over him. I'm positive that whatever they have planned to fix whatever mess happened at Duel Academy, they'll succeed. Now let's take advantage of this."

The group nodded in agreement before heading out.

._._._.

"Where are we?" The king questioned after they arrived at what appeared to be a luxurious family room filled with a wide screen TV, antique art, and games that could entertain the entire extended family.

"We're in an alternate universe." Chazz answered as he had Jun and Jaswinder check the rest of the place.

"You can do that?"

"It's not as difficult or consumes as much power as you would think." The ballerina sat down on the couch. She figured it was best to act civil without any of her haughty, immature attitude. The king sat next to her as she continued, "You remember me as Renee right." The man nodded. "And you've been looking through Jaden's eyes this whole time right?" Another nod. "And the one who saved me at the infirmary and when I was about to explode was you, right?"

"Mostly. Judai is also in here, but I don't know where he is inside me now."

"Is that so. Is there anything you want to ask me because I don't want this to turn out into an interrogation."

"Due to my apathy, I can't do anything but respond like a robot. The ability to be interesting or interested has been completely shut down. Right now, I'm simply...being." The king spoke in the most bored voice that Chazz began to feel his interest drop, too.

"That's weird. I thought you'd be more all high and mighty and angry or something. I mean you were triggered by rage didn't you."

"I think your doctor can explain."

Chazz did have Jaswinder pop in to answer his question, "This effect is most likely due to the rage that had accumulated. Due to Jaden being reincarnated into a human, the brain couldn't handle its capacity, so naturally, it shutdown his emotions."

"So to get him to start feeling, I need to fix his brain?" Chazz inquired.

"My best advice is to do it more naturally since you may just be manipulating or damaging his emotional and intellectual growth if you aim for the brain directly." The doctor advised him. "The first step is to find the root of it." She took a seat next to the king who could in fact see her. "Now let's start with some questions. I will begin by asking you questions on your origin. Is that alright with you?"

"Anything is I suppose." The man answered disinterestedly. Chazz wanted to snap at him, but he didn't want to make it worse.

"Then my first question is can you give me your name?"

"I go by no name other than the Supreme King."

"Why do you go by that name?"

"It was given to me by the soldiers who took me in as their leader."

"Why did you follow along with them?"

"I just couldn't care what was happening. I guess your synopsis on my condition was right because I faintly remember that I did feel a strong, volatile emotion that could've been rage when I was about to take control of this body. But when I did, everything became uninteresting. They told me to act frightening, and I supposed I did in front of that last duelist I dueled."

He looked over to Chazz. "Renee...Sorry..." He guessed he tried to sound apologetic, but he couldn't muster the feeling of guilt or sadness. It just sounded like he was doing it out of politeness.

Chazz didn't mind. He cupped the man's cheek with one of his hands, and then kissed him. He knew that these were Jaden's lips, but they weren't his right now, and it was just a kiss. "It's alright. You were traumatized, but now, I can help you get better." He looked over to Jaswinder who appeared unaffected by his actions. Just simply being patient and understanding like a professional. "So how can we help him?"

The doctor answered, "Right now, we're finding the source of this apathy, and it appears to be from the rage he felt when he believed that you died. But now you're here. A lot of socializing and no dangerous activities should be the medicine."

"That's it?" Chazz was expecting something a little more...difficult.

"It's not as simple as it sounds, Chazz." The woman sounded like she wanted to scold him. "You two need to find a balance of when to socialize and when the supreme king can have his alone time. And despite not feeling anything, you," She referred to the king, "can sink into a case of depression or deeper apathy. You may feel uninterested in everything, but you can break out of this, and Chazz will help you."

"What about you and Jun?" He questioned, tiredly. It was like he was already trying to dig out, but he just started.

"We'll be around if any of you have questions. I am a doctor and Jun has a vast knowledge. We will give you both your personal space, so call on us with your individual power if you need help." She stood up to leave. "I suggest that the best way for the two of you to start is to rest since you both have just risen back to life recently."

"Thanks, Jas." Chazz told her appreciatively before she left with a welcome smile. He then looked to the king who watched him. "So, I guess we should go to sleep. I know it's sudden and all, but mind sleeping in the same bed with me. It's bound to happen eventually, so let's just do it now."

"Whatever you say." He answered as the two got up.

"And none of that!" Chazz scolded him with a raised finger at him. "I guess the first thing we have to work on is how you talk. Instead of saying things like 'whatever you say' or 'Anything is alright' as if you can't chose for yourself, you should stick with saying a simple yes or no, and saying things like 'I want this one' or something."

The king just listened and agreed since it took less energy. "Yes." That sounded too formal. "Okay."

Chazz was satisfied with that answer, so took his hand and pulled him out of the family room, down a corridor, up the stairs, down another corridor, and then into a fancy bedroom with nothing that gave it the feel that it had been slept in. Chazz explained, "When I was a kid, I traveled to alternate universes with Jun and the others when everyone was too busy to play. I never touched anything but this mansion though since it's bad to mess with someone else's universe. This one is similar to ours, but we weren't born here, so there isn't any prophecy about us here. This mansion was bought by a guy who could see duel spirits, and made this mansion their home after he died. They let me stay here every now and then before the war. It looks like your dark aura scared them off."

"Sorry." The king didn't sound like he meant it, but it was polite.

"That's alright." Chazz got on the bed and into the covers. The king did the same. "I could sense them in the other rooms, and Jun should've already explained to them, so they're alright. Let's go to sleep."

"Won't they disappear if you do?"

"Yeah, but Jaswinder told us to sleep."

"Alright."

The king lied flat on the bed, and let Chazz lie his head on his chest and shoulder. The spikes of his mohawk were not in his face, yet the smell of grape wine entered the man's nose. The lithe frame that held him was a little muscular while the feel of his small chest against his side produced no reaction from him. He lied on that bed, staring at the ceiling. His chest felt warm, yet his feelings were soft. His mind a small pressure as if something was trying to urge its way through a wall. He didn't mind it, and fell to sleep with ease.

 _Song: Down to Nothing - Siddhartha Menon_

._._._.

Within the dark depths of his mind, the Supreme King walked through it, and he could remember that he once felt a stifling pressure, but now, it was gone. Everything felt light as if he was walking through air with too much ease that a person would've felt helpless. Yet, the king just moved on until his body eventually opened his eyes to the reality before him.

He looked around to see the room that he clearly remembered was located in another universe that Chazz had bought him, too. He looked for that person, but he was gone from the room. The door opened to reveal Jun. "Hey ho! Up and ready to go!" She was pouring out excitement. "Breakfast is in the dining room. You should first shower and wear the clothes set up for you on the counter. Chazz is already up and is in the dance hall."

"...Okay." The king remained on his bed. He didn't feel the drive to do anything. Jun left him alone since he had to conjure up the will to do simple things on his own. Eventually the king stood up, went to the bathroom, took his shower, wore the new fresh clothes, and then walked out of the room. He didn't know where the kitchen was, but then a mouse-like duel monster waved its hand at him, and ran off.

He followed it at a walking pace, and the mouse patiently led him to the dining room where his meal was set. He had never eaten food, and thought he didn't have to since he was nothing but a mass of darkness in a container. He still ate the food with lackluster before being led to the dance hall.

From there, his eyes laid on Chazz who was wearing his ballet shoes with black tights and a white t-shirt. He was currently dancing a solo, and as brilliantly elegant as he was, his mind and heart was else where. The king just watched him until Chazz's eyes laid on his. For a moment the half-man didn't recognize him since a darkness glazed over his eyes, but soon light shone through, and upset took over.

"Your shoulder's are drenched! Did you not wipe your hair properly! Geeze, don't be such a slacker, idiot." Chazz took his dry towel and rubbed the king's head fervently. It hurt a bit, but the king didn't really feel the pain. "You're going to get a cold. Let's go get you another shirt." Chazz pulled him back to the room, and helped him change. "Did you eat?"

"Yes."

"Good. We're going to head out today."

"In this universe? Didn't you say that it would be bad for you to disturb other universes since your existence remains in one universe." The king pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Blah, blah, all that science stuff is a pain in the head. Jun tried explaining to me that I won't cause some freak accident if we go out since she did it before, and when she was asleep, she felt out that when she did travel to an alternate universe by accident, she saw that it didn't really do anything wrong. It's just that my birth is held down in one universe. Not my life. Even if I lived out my life in another universe, I will still be reborn in the one I'm meant to be in. Or that's what she says. After everything that happened before this, I honestly don't give a fuck. In another universe, all kinds of alternate universes is getting on one another*." Chazz was nervous about putting his foot out there in the new world, but he couldn't go back to his own, yet. And he couldn't keep the man in this mansion. It wasn't ideal.

Chazz had the king put on a jacket, socks and shoes before they headed out. The light user created a portal to get them to an empty alley in the city. They walked out casually, and took off on the sidewalk.

"This place is...?" It was a very odd looking city. All the buildings were colorful, and some of their shapes were more rounder. And roads and trains were throughout the sky just as people were riding automobiles beside them.

"We're in Heartland city." Chazz explained, "I told you that we were in the alternate universe, but we're also in the future. In this place, people duel with a duel gazer." He made the king stop to look down and see kids with what appeared to be a different version of duel disks on, and what they wore at their eye must be what Chazz called a duel gazer. "This is so kids could duel without disturbing the peace, and they call their duel disks, duel pads here. It's not really any different from a regular duel disks, except in this world, they can do XYZ summoning."

"XYZ summoning?"

"It's a new version of summoning similar to regular summoning except this one allows the summoning of special XYZ duel monsters. And those monsters have what you call overlay units, which allows for a special effect to take place. If you have two of those units, you can use that special effect twice. This both gives the duelist and their opponent an advantage since some special effects are far too powerful and the overlay units can be stolen, so it's really a battle of whose special effects will win them the duel." Chazz took out a red duel gazer, and put it over the man's eye. "Here." He took out a black one for himself.

Together they watched as one of the kids summoned their XYZ monster and used its overlay units to use its special effects, yet his opponent was far more clever, that she beat her opponent with ease. The king watched this with mild interest. He supposed that not all his interest was gone, but he knew that the sight of such a fearsome battle would've wowed his other half.

He looked over to Chazz, and saw how fixated she was over the different types of duels and fields that took over the sight of one of their eyes. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Chazz was caught off guard by the display of affection, but when their eyes met, she saw and guessed that he did that out of boredom and a little curiosity.

The man felt emotionally drained just looking into her eyes. He was already tired with today. He just wanted to lie in bed and think of nothing, but Chazz grabbed his hand, and pulled him away. "Hey, are you even into dueling anymore?"

"No." The man answered without a sliver of care in his words that he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize!" She snapped at him. "We're here for you. I thought making you see a new, exciting way to duel would lift your spirits, but that just upsets you, doesn't it."

"Upset me?...I don't know. I'm just tired. Watching them duel...I feel..." He gripped the fabric of his jacket over his chest. His mind was numbed, but his heart felt like a stone was blocking the blood traffic. "I can't think."

"Hey, it's okay. Take your time." Chazz cupped the other teen's face. He saw Jaden's face, but his golden eyes told him otherwise. "We're here to help you find out who you are. You may be the king of duel spirits, but that doesn't mean you have to like dueling. It'd be ironic, but screw what people think. If something upsets you, then tell me, and we'll do something else."

"Are you fine with that?" The king found himself asking.

Chazz answered indefinitely, "Of course, idiot! It's important that you be who you are." He explained seriously with arms crossed, "And it's not just because you're the Gentle Darkness. You're you, and it annoys me that you had to come out the way you did..." The teen looked off to the side sadly, but then he perked up his attitude, "So let's go! We can do other things other than dueling!" He grabbed the king's hand and pulled him to anywhere the provided entertainment that didn't involve dueling, but wasn't boring, too. "Hey, is there anything you thought about doing before you became apathetic."

"Kissing you. Watching you duel. Repeat of what we did without your life being at risk." The man listed out dully, but despite how uninterested he sounded, Chazz became bright red.

"So-Something else! Dueling obviously make you depressed, and we can't just jump into the other things! I'm not like that!" Jun and Jaswinder snorted loudly behind Chazz, and quickly hid back in his core before he glared at them. "Okay, yeah, I'm a slut, but you're important! You're my childhood boyfriend..." He tried to say that angrily, but he spoke as if he was pulling off an act of bravado. Yet, the blush on his cheeks made him look silly, and he knew it. "We have to restart by getting to know each other. It's one of the rules when you get back with an ex..."

It didn't help the blushing raven when his kuriboh ex-boyfriend just stared blankly at him. The king stared at Chazz before he figured that he should say, "Okay."

That helped the blushing raven a little to continue the conversation with a bit more direction and confidence. "Good. So you understand that this is not only to help you get out of your apathy, but for us to get back into dating."

"I understand."

"Good! Okay, then! Let's get to it! Was there anything else that you wanted to do beside those things before you became apathetic."

The king just answered, "Nothing really. When my pilot and I split into two, and he sealed me away into the darkness, I don't know how long I was within that stifling realm alone. All I remember was that I felt crushed and pummeled by emotions that my pilot denied himself to feel. I held onto the memories he did not want to remember, so I remembered Renee. Other memories such as Yubel and Crimson was in my mind, but none of them mattered. Only you did. And my memory of you came to life before my very eyes. She also drowned in the same pressure as I, but with her presence there, the gravity of the pain felt as if it was, for better words, lightened. But her time with me was limited. She began to disappear slowly but surely. We never spoke a word since we were together, but I could understand everything she wished to let me know through movement alone, and she understood me back in return. Yet, before she completely disappeared," The king closed his eyes as his being was basking in the feeling produced by the memory, "She gave me her name, and promised with all her heart that the Renee right here in this reality would love me."

He opened his eyes. His gaze laid upon a dumbfounded Chazz. The dancer wasn't sure of what to say. He needed a moment to think of what he heard about, and took into consideration of his feelings. When he came to a clear conclusion, he looked at the king with determined silver eyes. "Well that other me isn't wrong. I will love you, but how much I love you right now is not enough to measure with hers. The old me loved you immensely, but over the years, those feelings cooled down, but you can heat them back up if you tried to love me back in return! Make that your motivation to kick yourself out of your apathy! The Renee we both knew died when we were young because of Yubel and the war, but we can bring her back if you can bring yourself back. So don't hurt yourself, but definitely push yourself! You got that!"

The split personality looked within Chazz's determined silver eyes. He saw the way her body was positioned in eager anticipation as if they were in the middle of a competition. The king considered his feelings about this, and he just felt a numbness. Yet his brain seemed to kick him into engaging somewhat in this competition.

"O...Got it." He felt a part of him feel a numbed agitation for thinking too much into just varying his answer. He felt like retreating from trying to be individualistic with his words, but Chazz didn't give him a second to do so.

"Good! Now, let's continue with our date!" Chazz held his hand as they continued to walk through the city. "Also, I didn't choose this place because of the new dueling strategies. I also wanted to give you something new to look at. Colorful and filled with energy. I planned out a ton of activities, but if anything catches your eye, we'll do it. Remember, numbskull, that dates are about having fun."

"Have you been on a date before?" The numbed skull asked.

Chazz blushed and flinched. He had been talking like a hotshot, but now he was being watered down with ice. Yet, he kept his pride, "No, but what's the point of a date if it isn't fun? Didn't you want to be on dates with me? Or was dueling and kissing me the only thing on your mind?"

"No. I also wanted to know more about you. You were never kind to my other half, and..." The man tried to remember, but the lack of emotions and words for them made him feel like he was trying to unclog himself. And that gave him a feel of numbed infuriated feelings. Yet, on the outside, he was completely void of expression. He thought he was going to feel like some sort of silent land mine was going to go off inside him, but then a warning signal passed his brain when Chazz's voice broke through his distraction.

"That's because he was an annoying slacker with a luck too good for him. What? Are you curious about my sweet side? I don't know if I have one though." Chazz only ever really reacted to someone in a given situation. He only took on the proactive approach when he felt feelings of frustration or lust, but never really engaging to sweeten a moment out of romantic love. His moments with Alexis were more of a traumatic response condition. Not really a clear independent decision on his part.

"Maybe." The younger male answered bluntly. "I can't remember clearly of what I felt back then or what I truly wanted."

"That sucks. So we gotta go find out what that is by doing what I have planned. Since you're not into dueling, we can skip to snorkeling."

"Snorkeling?" That sounded so out of left field.

 _Song: I Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson_

"Sure. I figured the most random thing to get your emotions jump started was going to the ocean. I already reserved a boat for us to help us get to the best snorkeling place here."

Well, the one thing the man could admit was that it definitely jumped started his brain a bit to think of actual questions, but none of them passed through his mouth. Chazz had them walk to their destination, and got him talking and answering with every opportunity such as what he thought about the different shops they passed by. They entered a few like a music shop, and Chazz had him listen to some songs that ranged from insanely old to new. He told him about how music can move someone's soul, but Jaden didn't feel his body move at all. Yet, some music did make his brain feel a nice fuzziness. That was good enough so Chazz purchased the ones that did make even the smallest of impact on him.

They also entered a convenience store to buy drinks and wrapped sandwiches if they became hungry on the trip. The king told her that he didn't need to eat since his power supplied him with strength. Chazz chastised him for doing that. Though it was good to have such an ability if food was scarce, it was not good, however, to not bother to eat since food can fill a person with different types of energy. Eating also helped the mind think, and drinking hot chocolate would help make the stomach feel warm. She taught the stone man that food can determine a person's day and mood. Jun actually taught Chazz that just as he was healing from his own emotional wounds, but that was a story for another time.

After getting their food, they finally reached their destination, and got on a boat. They put on their swim gear before dropping into the ocean. Everything was blue and dark at first when they dived yet when they turned and swam to the reefs, they were greeted by a splash of colors brightened by the sunlight trespassing the surface of the water.

Chazz held onto the king's hand to pull him into the vibrant life surrounded by harmless fish, turtles, manatees, and many other animals.

The king took in the view with mild interests, but it seemed like Chazz was really into making him interested in inspecting different shaped corals and animal activity. He played along until it was over.

They then took to the beach nearby in swimming trunks that they bought from a store, and they were talking, well mostly Chazz was talking, about the sea life back in their time. His older brother, Slade, knew a lot about it since he played a part in protecting its wildlife. Chazz wasn't interested when his brother would speak about it, but he felt proud to have listened and recalled what his brother spoke about, so it was easier for him and the king to talk. The apathetic male barely had much to say, but he was speaking more short sentences throughout their conversation and also when they ate their sandwiches on a blanket under a parasol.

Girls approached them out of interest since the king appeared to look cool with his stoic expression and golden eyes. Yet when they asked him of what they were doing at the beach, the king right out said that they were on a date. Chazz confirmed this frankly, but when the girls left, the king saw Chazz intently staring at the fleeting girls.

"Do you like them?" He found the words slipping from his mouth, and his whole mind was at a stand still to how he thought of those words.

Chazz diverted his attention to him with a shocked expression, and yelled at him, "No, stupid! Never mind. Not like you would understand." The ravenette turned away.

Jun appeared behind the king and stage-whispered, "He was just thinking of how he was better than those girls because he got you first."

"Jun!" The woman disappeared before her recent reincarnation could snap at her. Chazz was left blushing while the king just looked at him with a face of no interest yet acknowledged the situation. Chazz understood the lack of reaction, and he just hugged the other male so he could hide his face without distancing himself from him. The king didn't know what to do, but he knew that he was at his limit to socialize. He thought he was going somewhere, but he quickly dropped back down to the start. He felt helpless against this.

Chazz could feel the apathy flowing out of him, and decided it was time to go home, so he used his power to have random fireworks show up to distract people as they teleported away. She then had the king go shower, and made sure he used the hairdryer, so he didn't go to bed with wet hair. After he did as instructed, he went to bed and fell asleep. Chazz entered the room after making use of the other master bathroom suite, and saw the king asleep soundly. She looked down at him to see Jaden's face, but the expression of the king.

"It seems that he's an introvert." Jaswinder told her findings.

"So he's going to get tired like this often?"

"It's true introverts get tired of social activities, but they can lengthen how long they can stand it before it becomes unbearable. I advise you to try a less active activity tomorrow."

"I can do that. I already have one planned." Chazz got comfortable under the blanket beside the sleeping young man.

Jaswinder smiled at her, "Always the organized one, aren't you."

"You and Jun should know that best. Night."

"Good night."

._._._.

The next morning, the king actually woke up automatically before Chazz who laid on his side and facing away from him. His spiky hair was a mess, and he seemed to still be deeply asleep. The king didn't bother to get up. He just lied there, bathed in his numbed emotions. It was like someone had numbed him completely before wrapping his neck, stomach and each of his knees by a chain connected to cinder blocks. Metaphorically then, he didn't defend himself when he was gently pushed into the dark freezing ocean with the blocks quickening his sinking. Despite the threat to his life, he just let himself sink deeper into the gravity weakened world.

But then the chain around his neck was loosened when Chazz turned around sleepily to see him. His eyes were half-lidded and breathing was shallow. "Hey." The ravenette spoke lowly.

The younger man took a moment to try to muster a feeling of interest in speaking with individuality. He eventually said, "Good morning."

Chazz softly smiled at this tiny improvement. "Morning. I'm hungry."

"Me too."

Chazz chuckled at that obvious lie. But it seemed like yesterday did at least do something to the king. "Then, let's go make breakfast."

"I didn't know you could cook." The words came out automatic, but the king liked that they did since it was kind of an improvement.

"I don't. I hate cooking, but Jaswinder thought it'd be a great exercise for us. Besides, one of the duel spirits here will teach us something simple, so we won't be using knives or burn the mansion down." Chazz got of the bed with the king following along.

They first changed before heading to the kitchen where the duel spirit greeted them with too much vivacity for the morning. "Hello! Hello! Welcome! Welcome! Today we're going to be making some simple french toast, eggs and bacon! The ingredients and the recipe has already been prepared. I'll come right back if any of you set a fire!" The woman left.

"Wait, what?" Chazz was expecting her to stay the whole time. He was not prepared to just cook alone with someone that had the personality of a statue. He yelled for the duel spirit to come back, but the spirit didn't come back. That irritated the duelist, but he figured that this was some romantic idea with a lot of chances to blow up in all of their faces. He just sucked it up, and did the damn activity.

The two of them looked over the instructions, and it was't completely hard. Everything was labeled with post-it-notes, so they worked together in first doing the eggs. Chazz tried to do it himself, but he ended up splashing it all over the stove. Some of it got caught in the flame so a fire was set off with smoke alerting the spirit to come and fix everything in a swift movement that the teens thought time rewinded. Chazz growled at this, "This is why I said I hate to cook!"

The king didn't have any opinion on the mess, but he figured that it was just common courtesy to help a former romantic interest.

"Here."

He set everything up again as it was, but this time he stood behind Chazz, and grabbed his hands. He was only shorter by two centimeters, he laid his chin on Chazz's shoulder, instructing him with a bored tone on how to stir it correctly so nothing splashed and get burned. Chazz blushed and felt his heart rate speed up for a moment by the intimacy, but then became solely focused on the task at hand when he saw how well everything was turning out to be.

"You know how to cook?" This really surprised the ravenette.

"Mm. I still retain some of my old self's memories. Crimson, our daughter from a previous life, taught Jaden how."

"You even know about Crimson?" Chazz had only heard him talk about him and his past incarnations.

The king nodded as he set their fresh eggs to the side, so they may continue. "But what I feel for her or for anyone, I don't remember it."

"Don't worry. You will." Chazz told him without a hint of doubt.

"But will these be my own feelings?" There he went again. Saying things without properly thinking it through. It was like he had a second mouth with a mind of its own, and the king figured he didn't mind. This was progress, wasn't it?

Chazz couldn't really think of a good answer, but spoke for the sake of conversation since that was quite a profound question. "I can't really give you a straight answer to that because you and Jaden shared the same life before, and you spent your new life feeling his own bad feelings."

"You weren't a bad feeling."

"You were both left cold turkey though."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know it isn't. You know what. Let's just continue making breakfast. The eggs will go cold if we don't hurry." Chazz didn't want to delve deeper in that conversation so early in the morning. It was important, but he didn't want to think about what was going on in their universe.

The king felt like his mind was stunted a bit by the stop of their conversation, but he followed along with making the rest of their breakfast through teaching Chazz himself of how to properly flip a piece of bread and tell when the bacon was cooked.

After preparing their dishes, the two ate it at the clean side of the island counter.

._._._.

"We're reading today?" The King asked flatly when they entered the mansion's library.

"Don't tell me you also don't like to read a book." Chazz frowned at him. "Or can you read?"

"I can read." The king fell silent. Just the sight of a hard covered green book seemed to put down his spirits that he didn't know rose a bit.

"Aaand?" Chazz pushed him to explain himself.

The brunet let the words spill again, "We did a lot of moving yesterday. I didn't expect this."

"Yeah, but there's such a thing as taking things slow, you know." The ravenet walked over to one of the shelves, inspecting each title. "I'm not the type to go out anyway. But I had a lot of fun yesterday. Wished I could say the same for you."

"You don't like to go out?" That was the only thing that gave a faint, subconscious interest from the other male.

"It's not that I don't like to. It's just that sometimes I like just doing these kind of things with others. Jun and Xiaoling can be party animals. Jaswinder and I like quiet evenings."

"Hm."

"What about you? You've met Judai, didn't you? The first Supreme King?"

"I did. But he didn't speak much. Just quietly observed. He has no memories of the past with Jun."

"None?"

"He only knows that she's important. But everything else is a blur."

"Huh." Chazz wanted to get a comment from Jun, but she didn't appear like usual. Can't blame her. "So you don't mind doing this right?"

"I don't know."

"Just tell me that you won't fall asleep on me."

"I'll try."

"Good. What we're going to read today is this." Chazz held out a rectangular, flexible, plastic book in front of him.

The king began to think he really was feeling something when he took a good look at it. "Calvin and Hobbes?"

"Yes." Chazz answered like this was perfectly normal.

They stood there is silence for a moment. The whiteness of the comic book glaringly attracted attention. The brunet flatly admitted, "I think I feel something."

"It's probably a mixture of bewilderment and concern for my well being." Chazz was entirely serious which made the moment funny between them, but neither was laughing.

"Did...did we read this before?"

"No. It was a secret guilty pleasure of mine when I was a kid."

Silence descended on them again. The golden-eyed young man stared at the book and the love of his universe. He had his hand grab his head. "My mind...feels fuzzy. It's...irritating."

Jaswinder appeared, shortly checking him with her trained eyes before she gave her diagnosis, "Looks like you have no physical injury, so that means that your mind is simply trying to get back to work, but that could result in headaches and feelings of irritation as you slowly begin to return back to normal. Do you feel tired like yesterday?"

"No. I'm just...tired. All the time."

"How was your sleep?"

"Fine. I think I sleep enough."

"And what do you think about when Chazz isn't running her mouth?"

"Hey!"

The king answered, "I...just want to stop breathing. It takes too much energy to do that. I'm not even in control of what I say even now. I wonder if I am the one speaking?"

"You are." Chazz told him without a shred of doubt. Her silver eyes glowed strongly yet softly, so it could be gazed upon. "Everything up front in your body is a drag, and disconnected from everything including what's inside you. But that's just now. That's going to be a while. Hell, even years. But," She set the book on top of other books, so she could properly hold his arms, so he would focus on her. "It's a struggle that feels so unfair to have when everyone else doesn't have to go through with it like us. You're always going to feel resentment for yourself, and never feel truly fixed. You're always going to be scared every day that some asshole or something will bring you back to this, that every day is a battlefield." The broken shemale felt anguish take on the form of water inside her body. "But hell, even in war, there's a time to settle down and laugh and just enjoy a good moment that could become your 'now'."

Chazz stopped when she just knew that her voice was about to crack. She felt the familiar trembling of her shoulders, the heat and chill that fluxed in torso while her head got hot and her legs got cold. She didn't know what the king felt at the moment. But even if he couldn't muster the will to care, she urged herself to tell him, "So yeah, you feel detached, but these words aren't coming from anyone but you. It's not Judai or Jaden. It's you!"

The king took account of everything he was told. Jaswinder saw his golden eyes not shifting or showing any sign of thinking with emotions. His voice remained flat even as he questioned, "...What am I?"

Chazz answered with haste certainty, "We don't know, but that's what we're going to find out, remember. So just be patient okay? And be irritated and fuzzy headed without pulling a stroke on me! It's only the second day! I'll help you even if 2 centuries past, got that!"

The King gazed into her strong-willful eyes. He nodded, and spoke, "Yeah."

"Good! Now let's get back to reading!" Chazz took back the comic book, and pulled the dull teen to a sofa where they both looked over the comic book. They went through each strip, and talked about it. The king didn't feel exhausted doing this activity, and his body seemed to be on full alert when his love would laugh at one of the strips or make an amused comment. However, the lack of movement made it easier for his upper lids to become heavy. He knew he shouldn't. He knew, but he did. He fell asleep right in the middle of Chazz's sentence that had the combinations of aliens, tigers and politics mixed in with a school's secret agenda in there.

Chazz wasn't offended, though if the man were to wake a few minutes later, he would act like he was. Yet as each minute passed while Jun carried the darkly powered human to their bed, the energy saved for his faux anger drained. He just wanted to know how to keep the king interested without making him fall asleep.

"Why not just enter his dreams?" Jun set the teen down, used her own power to change him into comfortable pajamas, and tucked him in. "He currently has no idea how to properly use his powers, so he's going to need physical training to increase his stamina for any activity. Emotional training in the physical world won't work unless we improve that first."

"Figures. But I never did something like that before. Dreams are weird, and movies make me believe I could kill someone or I might get trapped in there with them."

Jaswinder appeared. "Those are all theoretical. Jun and I have entered dreams, and they simply work like another universe, except everything created is the result of emotions influencing the forms produced from the fragments of memories mixed with creativity. No one you destroy in there, including yourself or him will die. However, comas are very possible if you truly believe or wish that you won't wake up." She placed her hand on the male's forehead. "The physical state of his brain is healing itself, but it's struggling due to his stifling emotions. No beautiful scenery or comedy skits will fix this."

Chazz stared at the king's smooth yet placid sleeping face with a somber look. "And if I bump into Jaden? Will I?"

"Not likely. Jaden and this king switched, so he's most likely where the king used to be. Let me check." Jaswinder sent her subconscious to where Jaden was, and the boy was doing nothing but staring off to the distance. He didn't even flinch or acknowledged her existence. She looked around to see the dark world filled with mirrors. She expected to feel a heavy pressure, but there was none. Not even lying her back against Jaden made her feel any pressure in the slightest.

Curious, she tried to exit the unconscious to the subconscious, and to her surprise, she found it difficult to pass through the imaginary stone wall she encounter. She tried finding a exit or a way above or around it, but it was endless. She peaked through the cracks to see a glimpse of anything, but only darkness welcomed her. She decided to exit the mind entirely, and then enter his conscious from the front.

She succeeded, but then found herself thrown by a wave and plummeted down into its depths before being pulled at every direction. She quickly exited with a ragged gasp as if her real body had stopped breathing. She composed herself before sighing. She told Jun and Chazz, "Jaden is safe, but the fool turned into nothing more than a doll. As for the bigger fool, it looks like the king dragged the pressure of his world to this one."

"Dragged the pressure?" Chazz furrowed his brows.

"He told you about how he existed in a world filled with all of Jaden's negative emotions, which took the form of pressure. He brought the pressure with him yet unlike the unconscious that is spacious, the pressure is being condensed in the conscious level of his mind."

"What about the subconscious?"

"The subconscious is the memory bank with an impenetrable vault." The mystical doctor explained, "I tried to reach the king myself, but I was unprepared for the pressure I was thrown into. It seemed to have taken the form of an ocean that's thrown into chaos. It's too dan-"

"I'm going in." Chazz's decisive eyes focused on the king. "I was in the same boat as him years ago, and I did say that I was going to make him the king he's supposed to be."

Jaswinder looked over to Jun, who commented nonchalantly, "I'm all for a better love story than mine."

"There you go being careless again when we need reason." The doctor scolded the knight, and did the reasoning herself, "Chazz, there's only tragedy at the end of this."

"But we have to save Levy." The teenager reminded them. "And only the Gentle Darkness can handle Yubel."

"But are you truly willing to save one friend over the other?" questioned Jun with a slight amused smirk like a timid devil. "No matter how you see this, someone will die in the end. I did give you my warning."

"And I appreciate you making that only a warning, and I made my choice. I'm going in with regrets, but hey, that's nothing new to me." Chazz lied down on the bed, getting comfortable next to Jaden's body. She turned her head, and for a faint moment she saw Jaden, but the soft, smothering darkness made her see the king entirely. She thought that she should be scared, but all she felt was slight anticipation for what she was about to enter into. It...was almost like she was going to get an outside glimpse of who she was in the past. Pieces of that little inter-boy was still within her with an image of purity. And now, she was going to see it shed off like dead, papery skin.

She took in a deep breath, feeling a profound, calming emotion that helped soothe her into a deep slumber.

._._._.

 _Song: Lost - Anouk_

...

 _"Breathe..."_

...

 _"Breathe..."_

...

 _"Breathe..."_

...

...

...

 _"Renee..."_

The king felt the skin of his lids, and how his pupils caressed against it. Although he could feel that, his eyes were wide open in the darkness he delved within. He could describe it as peaceful, but not even the feeling of tranquility resided in the world he entered. Instead, he felt a soft, slowly suffocating dread turning his soul into butterflies. Fragile and fleeting.

 _"Renee..."_

He wanted to move his body to find her, but his limbs were far too heavy to move. Even his own facial muscles were gaining weight that he could've sworn that they were bound to cave in and break his skull. Squash the useless brain that was his and then tear off from the inner edges of his cheeks.

 _"Renee..."_

He pictured the beautiful little girl with long raven hair and grey eyes. He couldn't remember how he felt about them, but he just knew they were important. He knew that moving was important. But where did his arms go? Where was his legs? His guts and bones?

Where was his heavy skin now?

The King's questioning thoughts came slower and slower until he was just simply breathing. Then to his surprise, he found his arm being tugged roughly with his torso being wrapped around and pulled upward against a heavy, cold pressure.

"PWAH!" Chazz gasped for air once he finally reached the surface of the sea. He expected a sea storm above once he found himself dropped into the freezing water. However, everything was calm with the only source of light being the moon in the sky. He wasn't even shivering in the water that was slightly illuminated into shades of dark blue across the black ocean.

The one thing he did note was that it was incredibly hard to breathe even above the water.

Outside, Jaswinder took note of this as she observed Chazz's body from inside his soul room. "His breathing is shallow. He's letting himself be influenced by the pressure inside the king's mind."

"Huh. Does that mean that she may be injured by this?" Jun inquired, watching as well.

Xiaoling, who had been pulled from the other universe, purred when the knight scratched the right spot behind her ear. It was okay for her to come back to Chazz's soul since their universe had come to a pause, so new souls popping up wasn't going to be an issue. She had made sure that the orb was put in a safe place before Chazz had fallen asleep on the first night with the king. She hadn't made an appearance since she figured Jun and Jaswinder already had everything under control.

She turned on her back to stretch with a nice hum. "She'll only feel a bit out of it with a headache or dizziness. We've felt that before."

"But we never been in a mind as intense as the king's." Jaswinder pointed out. "I've been there for only for a few seconds, but I was completely thrown into a living, destructive sea."

"But you completely stopped breathing." Jun pointed out. "Chazz didn't. He held his breath, and he would've had the same reaction as you. But he's didn't."

The doctor already knew that, "Then that must mean that Chazz may have a significant effect on the king's mind. Most importantly, the pressure. It cannot be because we are the speck of light, otherwise I wouldn't have gone through what I did."

"He already knows he loves Renee." Xiaoling smirked softy at the thought. "I wonder if he knows what he truly needs. The one thing that will truly help him break away from the pressure once and for all."

Jaswinder breathed out through her nose, "I highly doubt it. He would if we tell him."

"But that could spoil the whole adventure. If you tell someone they have to do one thing, they will make that one thing the glue that keeps their life together." Jun said.

"Patience." Jaswinder said with slight frustration.

"Patience." Xiaoling huddled herself as she began to fall asleep.

Jun didn't say a word. She simply stared at the king's face, and took on her own heavy sigh that descended on her chest. Eventually she lowly said under her breath, "Patience."

._._._.

Chazz wasn't sure of what to do in the middle of the ocean with an unconscious king in his arms. He wished he had asked his past incarnations for advice before jumping in like an idiot. He did watch a lot of scifi movies, so he tried to see if his own imaginations could work. However, that wasn't the case. He tried to use his light powers, but that wasn't possible either.

He considered waking them both up, so he could actually ask his past incarnations before doing this, and the king wouldn't be drowning himself. That plan was cast away when he heard the king's soft yet tired voice.

"Chazz?"

"Yeah. Are you seriously tired in your own dream?"

The king stared at the love of his life with half-lidded golden eyes. He then surprisingly straightened himself up to float in the water by himself. He cupped Chazz's cheeks and pecked her lips with his own. It took Chazz by surprise, and she felt the lack of experience. She didn't respond back to the kiss, so after a minute of the awkward lip touching, the king withdrew.

"What was that for?" She questioned.

"I thought I could feel something if I kissed you."

"And?"

"..."

Chazz figured. "It's not like we're in a fairytale where you're the damsel of distress placed under a curse. Didn't I tell you it would take time."

"..."

"Don't you have anything to say. Like whether I'm real or a dream?"

"You're real. I know it."

"Because I'm the speck of light?"

"Yes."

Chazz didn't know how to take that answer since there were still underlying messages to many words for even an emotionless man like him. "Is that why a sea storm isn't happening? Jaswinder came in here first and she was almost totaled by it!"

"She's not my speck of light. Her. You..."

This time Chazz could understand what he was trying to say, and he was naturally happy, but remained mostly concerned. "So I make you calm or something?"

"...Maybe."

That was the best answer Chazz could hope to have before moving on, "So since you're up or whatever, how about changing the scenery then."

"To what?"

"Anything you can think of. Why is it an ocean anyway?"

The king let the rest of his body flow up, so he could float. "I don't know. I guess it fits what I feel. Dark, cold, and helpless...But you're always in my mind, Renee. I can breathe in this water if I want to."

"That's because this is a dream." Chazz told him. "You can do whatever you want here."

"..."

Chazz felt that the silence was peaceful, but he wasn't. He was about to call out to him again, but then all of the sudden, in the blink of an eye, he found himself back at Jaden's home. The home that Chazz visited many times when she could. She found herself dressed in cute clothing that would look better for a child instead of a teen. And her hair had grown down to her waist.

The King was a child again. Chazz felt nostalgic at the sight of a seven-year-old Jaden, but he knew that his Jaden didn't have that blank expression. This was definitely the King.

They stared at each other for a bit to take in the situation. The older teen spoke up, "I'm guessing you want things to be a bit like before we separated."

"Mm." The kid shook his head. "I know nowhere else more important between us."

"There was Levy's flower shop." Chazz found those words spilling from his mouth.

"Levy..." Faint interest seemed to appear in the boy's words. "She disappeared as well." He said like an afterthought.

"She was one of the victims of the Harsh Darkness." Chazz let him know. "What do you remember about her?" The teen questioned cautiously. He didn't want the possibility of Jaden or the king discovering that Levy and Yubel had a connection. Especially since Chazz didn't know what will come of the king when he would snap out of this apathy.

The place shifted again, and they were standing in Levy's flower shop. Chazz believed that it must've been exactly like how the flower shop must've looked like where flowers were set outside for the natural sunlight and to attract customers. The windows let in a lot of sunlight with more flowers arranged to create a divine, multicolored scenery with a naturally sweet smell with a strong grassy scent. She also felt the very warm yet not upsetting temperature in the place.

The brunette child looked around the place as if he didn't build this image himself. "I remember...I remember that she was kind, and we loved her. But whether I loved her as much or less than you...I don't know."

"She loves you." Chazz let him know confidently. "After the war, we were both damaged that she had to move to India to heal..." The person who blamed herself for the war looked out of the window to see nothing but light. Yet, she could say that this was her reflection, and dear herself, was it hard on her eyes to look. She looked away to change the subject since the war was a sensitive subject, but there was one detail that Chazz realized that she hadn't asked.

"King."

"Hm?"

"You don't happen to remember a dragon made of light and darkness do you?"

The king stared at her for a little over a minute before answering plainly, "I do not. It looks like I can't remember duel monsters at all. I don't even remember the friends that my pilot made. Every one of them before I became like this is a blur now except for you, the original supreme king, Levy, and Crimson."

"What? But you were just playing Jaden's cards only a few days ago. They looked different when you used them, but they were still recognizable!"

"I just dueled with what I had." If anyone else said that, Chazz would've thrown them half across a room or make them feel like they've just been thrown through a wall with words alone. He may not treat his duel monster the best, but he still held attachments and respect for them.

He just moved forward since they could work on that attitude later, "Okay, so what about your nanny before Crimson? Your parents weren't around, but do you remember them?"

"No." He shook his head.

Chazz guessed that was fine since Jaden's friends weren't the king's friends, the adults in Jaden's childhood weren't the best, and he didn't want to explain the unavoidable fate that his dragon was given. None of this information really changed what he planned to do, so went on to say, "Okay, so since we're in your dream, there's no way you can fall asleep on me! But I can't do anything in here since it's not my dream, so you have to think it up yourself. I never went through this kind of therapy, but it might help you."

The king was more interested in asking, "What was your therapy like?" He formed a cute small white circular table with two white fancy chairs that sat them down in front of each other. Chazz was caught off guard at being swept in to the seat.

"Okay, one, don't just make me sit on a chair without warning or asking for my permission." The duelist lectured the king as he tried to get comfortable. But deciding to talk about his tragic backstory after the war would make him uncomfortable since he only recently started to truly heal. But Jaswinder had advised that sharing it would help lessen the pain. Since keeping it in wasn't ever a good thing.

Chazz steeled his emotions, and forced his mouth to smoothly let the words fall through, "And my therapy wasn't exactly...the best." There was a moment of hesitation when his mind went blank and it felt like his lung pinched his heart. His body was uneased since it still remembered the traumatic scars, but thanks to Jaswinder blurring out the memories to make it easier to live with, it made it easier for Chazz to want to fight this reaction, so he pushed himself even harder to speak without making it look like he was putting in any effort.

Yet his words were rather quick, "After the war, I was really messed up. My family tampered with my brain to help me forget the memories and pass it off as some normal tragedy. But what happened at the war ran deep since I was a kid who didn't even hit puberty, and I just couldn't accept reality, so I took my own brain tampering to a new level and made these fake memories. I erased everyone I loved in my head, and thought my brothers were abusive like our dad, so we can do something totally outrageous like wanting to rule the world. That part was the Light's idea. Jun, Jaswinder and Xiaoling couldn't be there for me since the war stripped me of my ability to love."

"Your ability to love? You couldn't love?" The king sounded like a very bad emotionless actor trying to sound astounded, but Chazz guessed the king was genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, it was the worst. Unlike you who feels nothing, all I felt were the shitty emotions. Oh, wait. Scratch that." Chazz for a second completely forgot where this split personality was born from. He was really talking fast without a moment to think, but for a second, he spared himself to apologize sincerely, but the king honestly didn't care, and wanted the story to continue, so Chazz continued at his quick pace, "Okay yeah, so everyone around me loved me, and I knew I couldn't do it anymore. And that affected how I dueled and dance. I just couldn't enjoy doing anything. After making up my fake life, I had my brothers give me acting and voice lessons. I even wanted to have surgery to make myself a boy." Chazz was definitely relieved that they stopped him.

He continued on, feeling himself calm down a bit, "But I'm feeling better now because I met a lot more people and took more risks..." She hesitated for a second at the thought of how her true friendships turned out. Especially when he was the reason. Yet he smothered those feelings. "And now that I told you my sob story, I guess I have some advice but I'm really not the guy you should look to for help. I did have a psychiatrist, but that was just so I can get the drugs to help me function. You won't need them since we just have to lessen the pressure in your head."

"How do you plan on lessening the pressure?"

"We haven't exactly planned it out, but you told me that Jaden pushed all his messed up emotions on you. I'm not saying you should do the same, but you should at least push some of it back into that place, and maybe we'll figure out if we can get fix some things related to them. That way you won't go all berserk on us."

"That would be...unpleasant." That sounded like a big word for the king to come up with.

"It's more than unpleasant. It's gonna be a disaster! Do you have any idea what you could've done if you didn't lose your rage?! You have the power to destroy dimensions! Hell, Judai did by accident! And I'm a wreck, and I'm the only one who can stop you! Talk about not being able to withstand a god's rage! So when you start getting some feeling in that stiff body of yours, you better not go beserk on me! Got that!"

"Yes."

"Say that with more feeling!"

"Yes!" The king yelled out, but it sounded flat.

Chazz was satisfied with the king at least responding to him. He crossed his arms. "Good. Look, I've been going easy on you because I had no idea how to deal with you since I wasn't a complete blank board of a person." He stood up with fiery determination, "But now I see that you do need to shape up and face things with a bit more energy! And know your place so you don't screw things up! I'll make you the king that this universe deserves since no one, but me and myselves can do that! Am I clear or do I have to repeat that for that thick skull of yours to get anything through!"

"Yes!" A flat answer came out of the golden-eyed teen.

"Good! Glad we have that clear. Well, the first thing we can do is take advantage of your dream. We'll have our conversations here since what you'll be doing out there is work yourself to the bone by Jun until you aren't dozing off on me. And we'll have to hammer in some knowledge into you about etiquette in politics, speaking in different languages, and other stuff since I'm not here to create a dictator."

"I see..." The king in his child form looked down at the table.

"What? You got something to say? Say it."

"Does the universe really need a king? I may not be able to feel or be able to remember much about anyone including myself. But a faint...voice that doesn't belong to either my pilot or the original supreme king is telling me that I never truly wanted to be king. I followed those men because I didn't know better, and destroyed the happiness of many. I know the original supreme king must've bathed his hand in the starry remains of his enemies, but those people weren't the enemy. I don't know what they were."

Chazz felt disgusted by the confession since that was basically saying that those people who suffered meant nothing. He shouldn't be surprised by this, and his true rage was aimed at Yubel who orchestrated all of this. He was also internally angry at himself for screwing up during the whole duel zombie catastrophe. But mistakes and rage had to be pushed aside.

Instead she should just be glad to discover that the king had it easier at expressing himself in the dream since his slowed, tired body didn't lag his words. "All that matters is taking responsibility." She told him as she made her way around the table to lean against it next to her childhood love. "And right now, you don't know what you want to be, so just go with learning how to be king. Maybe this universe doesn't really need one, but it's good to know there is one ready to put it back in order."

"Do you really believe that?" The king looked to her as if he was testing her, but it could've just been his lack of expression making it seem that way.

"Can I believe that won't screw up the hundredth time? This may come to a shock to you, but I'm surprisingly a forgiving person. Just don't disappoint me after I've gone through all this trouble to help a dunce like you." The half-female teen poked his head. The king placed his head on her leg, and rubbed against it in a robotic way.

Chazz felt pity for the man who looked pathetic in his attempts of intimacy. The ballerina had him stand up and follow her out of the flower shop and into a world of white. Chazz's heart seized up by the sight, but she focused on the man to change this. "Okay, so let's try changing the scenery a bit more. You remember us snorkeling right?"

"That happened recently, did it not."

"Yeah. Well, your idea of the ocean in this head of yours is depressing, so how about you change that. Instead of thinking of that dark ocean pulling you down, think about us swimming to the coral reef."

Without a blink, Chazz felt the soft, motionless peach colored sand dyed in blue underneath his feet. His hair floated against the weakened gravity, but it was a bit difficult to move in the imperturbably sunlit sea. The reefs that the couple had seen surrounded them like a colorful maze of wildlife. Fishes ranging from a clown fish to a juvenile emperor angel fish swam around them or remained safely at their home. Crabs that either looked like a seashell or a gigantic spider roamed the area while large animals like turtles, octopuses, or sharks made their way through. The plant-like life such as the sponges and anemones added a splash of color or uniqueness to this sea life oasis.

Chazz was taken aback by how stunning and detailed the work was. "Whoa...How were you able to imagine all this?"

"This what I remember from our trip."

"Yeah, I know that, but I didn't think you were actually paying attention. I mean..." Chazz was really unsure of what to say. His thought ran a little, but they reached a halt when his hand was taken by the king's.

"I won't forget." He promised.

Chazz was a bit confused since a lot of forgetfulness had been what they were talking about, so it took a bit to realize what the king meant. Chazz didn't believe him, but he had to work with what he got.

Following with the mood, Chazz expressed his gratitude through movement. It was how the figment of Renee communicated with the king, so he hoped to break bridges and move continents to reach through this man.

The ballerina bought her hands up above her head, and circled them around each other as an invitation to dance. She held out her hand, and the king held it once more like a dog obeying a command. Chazz felt surprised when she felt her power flow out of her hand. Then suddenly, Chazz's body was circled by the aggressive betta fishes who can't stand to be around each other for long, so they discarded after leaving Chazz dolled up in a light peach dress with a cape attached. It was as long to her ankles, and floated and moved like a translucent fish tail. Sequins that shone different colors made her appear as if she were part of the coral reef.

The king was dressed up in a prince's sequined uniform with opaque white tights. Chazz was confused, but remained quiet to continue the dance.

She jerked his hand back to have the the king come close to her. She bought her other hand between their faces. The king watched as she moved her pointer between them. Her knuckle and finger joints lightly pushed against the bridge of his nose and up to his forehead, and back down. The half male ballerina further used him as a prop as he mimed out the emotions she felt during their snorkeling trip. The king expressed his support and attention in a robotic fashion, but it didn't appear as terrible ballet. Instead he seemed to move with meticulous precision like Jaswinder. In response to this, Chazz moved more fluidly and slowly in the water. His dress floating with him.

He let the king know that she appreciated his mind. Their surroundings were breath taking, and she hoped for him to continue remembering more, and use it to construct many horizons. She wanted him to construct a home in his mind, and fill it with plentiful good things to help him love himself and the world around him. That way he had an anchor for his rage.

The king wasn't sure of what would be important enough to fill such a place in a suffocating mind like this.

Chazz stopped to give him a look that just screamed out that he was stupid before gesturing towards their surroundings and then poking his head really hard to get this through to him. The king paid attention to her unspoken words as she continued to relay to him about the importance of his mind, and continue to help her by lifting her up when needed, balancing her pirouettes, and holding her in place to express the gravity of her words. But her words came to him like shooting rain that try to bring a bridge down, but unless the rain could come down as one waterfall, it simply became damp.

Chazz knew this, but at least the bridge shook slightly when they looked deeply into each others eyes.

The water drained away and the coral reefs turned into dust. The two were absolutely drenched, and though it was a dream, they could feel their warm breath against their chilled, damp skin.

"Renee." The king called out to his beloved. "Renee..." But Chazz knew that it wasn't exactly him who the king was calling out for. "Renee."

This made Chazz curious about this Renee, and wished to meet her. However, her power wasn't at full fruition in this world where Chazz began to feel the suffocating pressure increase. So instead, the ballerina held the man close and kissed him before the crashing pressure took them away from the dream and had them slowly enter reality.

They looked at each other to see if the dream was real. Wordlessly, they were reassured that it was. They slowly sat up. The king felt the corner of his forehead ache as if something was pinching inside his skull. He slowly blinked, finding one of his eyelids heavier than the other. The king told Chazz about this, so Jaswinder would appear to inspect. She hypothesized that it must be due to the pressure in his head having been focused elsewhere for Chazz's sake after the duelist explained what happened.

The doctor advised that it was best for Chazz to undergo his own form of training to handle the pressure inside his head if they were to meet through his dreams again. The king could simply walk into Chazz's dream since no one knew how to use them. Jun never bothered to ask since she never dreamed she would be in this position. She didn't feel it out in her five thousand year sleep back then either since Judai never had to deal with any grand cosmic event that wasn't stopped by Yubel.

They speck of lights discussed about how to learn about the king's powers why the two celestial humans went to the dining kitchen to eat. They encouraged the king to be involved in their discussion. The brunet tried to do his best, but his body wanted to bend out as if a rope had been wrapped around his torso, and it was trying to pull him away, but only succeeded in pushing his organs against his spine. His mind also screamed for sleep despite just having slept less than an hour ago.

At the end, he was able to make it through the discussion, and Chazz complimented him for this effort without making it sound like such a big deal. Chazz then asked him if he would like to take a stroll alone in the backyard since the king did need his personal time in reality. It was important for the king to keep some independence and time to think. They would start with the exercise and everything else the next day. The king just followed along, and walked through the backyard alone.

Well, not exactly alone. As he made his way towards the garden maze that rich men see to love to have, he could tell that duel monsters were nearby and watching, but didn't dare approach him. One naive petite dragon tried to get closer to him out of curiosity, but the pressure the king couldn't help eliciting made it difficult for the stubborn baby to move.

He blankly told the small one, "You should stop. Getting near me will only hurt you."

The dragon whined, but it became exhausted, so fell asleep. The king continued his walk a bit more to ease the pressure off of the creature.

"Well! Well! Well! Looks like your royal highness has a bit of kindness under all that apathy!" A woman cried out jokingly. The king looked up to see an albino woman sitting on a branch. She dramatically sighed, "I remember when I didn't care for anything. Well, not exactly not care, but you should know what I mean. Oh wait, no. That's wrong, too. Shoot! These feelings and words are all so confusing! Maybe I should try speaking to you in another language! Ooh! That's what I should do!"

"You're the Light." The king could tell from her energy.

"Yes! Yes I am! Well, technically not the Light from your universe. I'm the Light of this universe. I was able to find you because myself from the other universe followed a big girl here, and then had me come here since the other me is kinda dead. ANYWHOOO! I'm currently very happy with how I've become a school nurse who has to patch up the foolish child who happens to have an alien friend who holds the power of my grandson*."

"Grandson?"

"The numeron dragon, sweetie. Well, more of a copy of it, but that'll be explained in a few chapters or so. Anyway, because of his suicide, the GREAT CONFUSING parallel universes were born! And as far as I'm aware, every single version of him except for one is a trading card. And with all his grand power to change FATE ITSELF, he's been used to revive some punked ass kids. Even one that killed millions of people and tortured them without any remorse! He's walking about as if he's a changed person! Oh how I want to kill him." The woman sweetly leered by the thought.

The king cared nothing at all for what she said. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to check in on my future-son-in-law. Well, half of him anyway! And I like you better. I never cared for people who don't share a grand intimate love for my daughter. And you do. Even when drowned in apathy, you still find some way to grasp onto the speck of light. You could've easily not bothered to remember her or care for her for mere thoughts you had before, but perhaps, you're actually not in love! But obsessed with her!"

"Obsession?"

"Yeah, love, lust, obsession- It's all a jumble of words used as labels for something no one can truly understand. Chazz might think your love is actually just a form of obsession for someone that isn't her."

"Chazz is my Renee." The king said, but nothing within him backed up his words to make him confident about them.

"Now there's the problem! The speck of lights are being nice to you and letting you put this claim on Chazz's love, but that's not how it works!"

"We're not official." He let the woman know. "We're restarting."

"Oh how cute! Not! Chazz has a propaganda for you, and it's for you to be king, and hey, who happens to be at the king's side, his QUEEN! He's just doing all this, so you won't go rampant and screw everything up! He'll never love you! You're a murderer just like his abuser! You know who'm I talking about!" The king had seen a bit of Chazz's memories back when she was about to explode, so he knew a bit about the Harsh Darkness. "And the kicker is that you both don't care about what you did." The woman suddenly appeared right behind the man. She held his shoulders, and whispered in his ear, "You only cared about obtaining Chazz's love to fulfill your own world." She let him go and playfully said, "We should start renaming you. The Harsh darkness is already, well, harsh. And you're not gentle anymore. So how about instead of the Gentle Darkness, you're th-"

The Light bought up her arms to shield her from the gust of wind that pushed her back a few inches. She saw that she bought out the glowing yellow light in those empty eyes.

"Oh what? I hit a nerve, dawg! C'mon! Bring your worse!" She provoked him, but the king, who had felt a sudden urge to kill her without passion, stopped. The glow of his eyes disappeared, but remain golden. The woman inwardly huffed, but shrugged it off crudely. "I'm just saying. Chazz is willing to be all sweet and careful with his words, but she's all just really cautious inside. You're a monster waiting to erupt, and Chazz is hoping to at least not make it as big as it could've been. Y'know." She pretended to stab a sword into her chest, and then used her hands to gesture a huge explosion. "But I'm crazy enough to challenge your apathy and let you explode! It's not like this universe is yours! It's just one of the possibilities among an infinite of them!"

"No." The king told her. "I...only want to do something for Chazz."

"You mean Renee."

"It's the same person." He said. "My Renee who disappeared was not a different person. She was the love the real Renee left behind, and that kept me whole while I could've came out of this body as a true monster who killed for the sake of himself." He looked down at the palm of his hands. "I know I still did something terrible, and how I will feel about it once I get my emotions back will be up to no one but for whoever I become after this. I only hope, if that's what I am capable of right now, is that my Renee, my Chazz will do what he believes is best for me and everyone. Because I fell for that type of person, and she hadn't changed. It's within her nature."

He looked over to the woman who was sleeping while standing up. She impressively had a snot bubble formed. It popped, and she immediately woke up. "Huh? Oh yeah, nice speech! Whatever, I just came here to tap into you, and it looks like I did just that! Go forth my son!" She dispersed under the sunlight.

The king stood there for a second, processing what just happened. He had come to this world without any true motivation since he did not care for anything. But after having Chazz before him, he knew of her importance, and followed it. But what to make of it, he didn't know. Chazz did it because he needed the king to be responsible with his power for the sake of their universe...

But what did he need Chazz for?

Was it to give him a reason to live?

Wasn't that reason a bit too broad or vague?

Anything can give a person to just breathe a second more. What did he need Chazz for specifically? He may not feel but he could think despite the pressure within there. It's just that he had been trying to think with feelings for these two days, but he could naturally think logically.

But should this answer be logical? Did he even need a reason? He thought he did because there were billions of other things that he could do instead. He wasn't in love right now. His Renee wasn't truly his, and someone else could be his. It didn't have to be Chazz. It never had to be the speck of light.

In fact being in love with her caused the death of his first human incarnation, and the eradication of his kingdom. Although, it was truly Yubel's fault, Jun had already ordered his past incarnation to not fall in love with her. If he had just followed through, then Crimson would have a father. She wouldn't have to suffer as much as she did and does now.

No on had to suffer just because one boy foolishly made a forbidden promise of love during a moment of passion, and would regret that as he became a man hopelessly in love.

It was best to not be in love with Chazz.

Coming upon this realization, the king imagined the dark oceans in his mind create whirlpools that absorbed the dark energy that leaked out of him before crystallizing his world into glaciers. He closed his eyes to let his human form stand before a concrete stone wall. He bent down to look through a tiny hole that let him see his other half, Jaden, just standing within the darkness, completely oblivious to the world outside. The king drew back, and just as Chazz had advised, he forced the pressure out of his brain, but it was less than Chazz would've wanted because the king did not want to leave room for love to form. He only wanted to give himself some leeway to think with a bit more ease.

He then formed a tiny stone in his hand to fit into the hole. Completely removing any chance for Jaden to see the other side.

 _Song: My immortal - Evanescence_

._._._.

A/N:

*Chapter 21: A flashback to when Chazz and Jaden were drawing their super hero costumes.

*Chapter 18: When Chazz sealed the Reaper to sleep and gave it back to North Academy.

*Reference to Yugioh Arc V (The only anime that I haven't even bothered to watch halfway through. 5Ds is only half.)

*Referring to Yuma and Astral and the Numeron Dragon


End file.
